Z
by honeysyrup
Summary: In a future where only carriers of the rare Z chromosome are able to bear children, an ordinary worker Drone named Naruto finds himself suddenly thrust into the Z breeding program, and also into the arms of an indifferent "partner". AU,37, NOT m-preg
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

_In the distant past shinobi made constant war on one another, resulting in one Hidden World War after another. However, after several generations of careful preservation of the shinobi gene pool for the purposes of producing stronger and stronger bloodlines, things began to take a turn for the worse. Eventually, shinobi women were rendered sterile, the chances of successfully producing children between shinobi shrinking to infinitesimal percentages, until finally the slow extinction of ninja and their kind began to play itself out._

_It was at this point that the shinobi community as a whole finally started to set aside most of their differences to begin seriously working toward the preservation of their kind. The greatest minds of the shinobi world collaborated for decades in an attempt to rejuvenate birth rates within their community, eventually resulting in what would preserve the future of all shinobi: Z._

_Z: a mutated chromosome occurring in less than 1% of all shinobi, which allows for successful childbearing. After the discovery of this mutation, extensive effort was put into the careful preservation and breeding of those carrying the Z chromosome. Eventually this effort resulted in the slow recovery of the Hidden World, but its structure was greatly changed by the necessary preservation of its only source of proliferation, resulting in the creation of "The Hive System", which governs ninja society today._

* * *

><p><strong>One.<strong>

A lone silhouette basked in the light of a sky afire in bittersweet hues of apricot, sardius and gold, as the sun finally went to ground, heralding the end of another long work day. All around the still form tall grasses swayed in the slightly cool Autumn breeze.

"Out here again, huh? I knew you would be."

The voice that called out to said figure was quiet and low-key, much like its owner, but was still enough to startle the youth who had been gazing so intently at the sunset. Said figure turned around jerkily to regard the source of the voice, squinting harshly into the relative shade directly behind him, his eyes having long ago become accustomed to the brilliance of the sky at dusk.

"Gaara? Is that you?" the boy called softly into the darkness, a little dazed after having been so abruptly interrupted from his revery.

"Yes, it is I," came the flat reply, as a somewhat smaller figure, a rather solemn looking redhead, calmly approached where his friend sat atop a slight rise in the terrain, "Who else would it be?"

The other boy smiled a little impishly in response and scooted over slightly to reveal as space on the rumpled work jacket that he was sitting on, gently patting it in indication that his friend should come sit next to him.

"Actually, the other day one of the foremen noticed I was missing and came to give me an earful," he admitted, a hint of a grimace tingeing his smile at the memory of the encounter.

"And yet here you are again. Your actions are very illogical, Naruto," the redhead observed flatly, taking a seat. His tone was neither scolding nor condescending, merely observant. Gaara was known among their cell for being one of the most collected and objective, almost to the point of being cold, but Naruto found his flat affect endearing. He was neither judgmental, nor patronizing. He simply _was_.

"Heh, not that I need you to remind me, but thanks," the now openly grinning youth replied, "What made you decide to come out and join me?"

"You know that I have no intention of joining you in your...musing. I was merely concerned when I noticed your absence," Gaara answered, pausing briefly to search for an appropriate word to quantify what it was that Naruto did when he shirked off his duties to come here and stare contemplativelyat the sunset.

"Musing?...Hah, yeah I guess you could call it that," Naruto replied, running a hand through his brilliant golden hair, "I'd say its more like daydreaming if anything though."

"Daydreaming...why do you come to this place to...to dream? Can you not dream at night when we go to rest?" his smaller companion pondered aloud, "We should complete our daily tasks as efficiently as possible in order to make work lighter for everyone in our cell. Is there not enough time to dream at night when our work is complete?"

"Well, yeah...I guess I _could _wait until work is over, but..."Naruto gnawed his lower lip a little as he debated whether to spill to Gaara what It was that had been eating at him lately. It wasn't that he was afraid his friend, his closest friend really, would misunderstand him. Rather, he did not want to belittle Gaara's point of view. However, not one to keep things to himself, the blonde finally decided to bounce his thoughts off of the other boy.

"See, the thing is, I know its important that we do our work, and I know it takes all of us to make things efficient and stuff like you say," Naruto began, glancing a bit hesitantly to his friend for signs of his reaction,"But sometimes I feel like I just...don't..._want _to work anymore. Like I don't belong here, or that there are other more important things that I should be doing. Something._..else_._"_

As expected, Gaara's dark-rimmed eyes widened slightly at this revelation. Not wanting to do one's work was absolutely unheard of. For Drones such as themselves, it was their sole purpose in life, the thing that gave significance to their very existence.

The infrastructure of the Hive, the place they called home, was such that Drones like Naruto and Gaara provided the manual labor that was crucial to their society's survival. If the Hive's social structure were like a pyramid, then they were the base. There were more Drones than there were people in any other social stratum within the Hive, and without them working diligently day in and day out, the structure would simply crumble in on itself.

Of course everyone in the Hive had their role to play, not just Drones. For each and every member of the Hive their lifelong roles, as well as their day-to-day objectives were guided by digital entities, called NAVs – personal computer interfaces which accompanied members of the Hive through every step of their daily lives from the time they were born. One's NAV was an essential part of one's existence, as it was connected directly to the Hive's central control system, which synchronized the movements of all of its members constantly in order to maintain the essential balance that allowed them to function as one efficient unit, much like the insects from which their social system's name was derived. Their society had taken this form ever since The Fall, several generations ago.

To be even slightly dissatisfied with one's role in the Hive was unprecedented. From birth they were instilled with deep understanding of their importance in the scheme of things – how the Hive could not function properly without each and every one to perform their roles. One was raised to be proud of their position in the Hive, as it was what made each individual part of the whole and gave their otherwise insignificant lives meaning.

For these reasons, it was only natural that Gaara looked absolutely taken aback at what he was hearing. If the situation hadn't been so serious Naruto might have laughed at the way shock had distorted his ordinarily staid friend's features.

"Something...else? Something _else, _Naruto_?_" the redhead repeated, as if hearing the phrase for the first time ever, "Such as _what_? What else _is _there?"

"I-I dunno, I just..._feel it_, you know?"

"No, I don't know Naruto," Gaara answered frankly, shaking his head as if to clear it, "This is serious. Have you consulted your NAV about what exactly this feeling you've been having means? Surely there is some explanation for it."

"Well that's the thing. See, my NAV, it's been...acting kind of strangely lately actually," answered the blonde, shifting his weight from side to side a bit anxiously.

"Strangely? In what way?"

"It speaks to me differently from how it used to, and it says...It claims that it has a name," Naruto confessed, lowering his eyes to his lap. This was the one thing he hadn't intended to bring up at all, but the horse was definitely out of the barn now.

"It calls itself KYUUBI."

* * *

><p>That night, after they returned to their housing units, Naruto lay awake far past lights out, staring at the backs of his eyelids as he went over recent events from within the solitude of his mind.<p>

The walk back from the fields had been a very quiet one. He was sure that Gaara had not been giving him the silent treatment on purpose. Rather, the words that he had spoken to his friend had been so shocking and disconcerting that the redhead was at a loss for words, and had gone dumb in his shock and disbelief. No doubt he was somewhat concerned to realize that Naruto had been keeping these concerns to himself for such a long time.

As usual they had taken their evening meal together, but that was where the normality ended. That evening Naruto had been as quiet as his redheaded companion during dinner, when normally he would be joking around with his work-mates from their labor cell. Instead, he had slipped into his own inner world, musing over the strange things that his NAV had been telling him of late in an uncharacteristically brooding manner.

Before, his NAV had been just like everyone else's in every way. It provided him with all the necessary information for life in the Hive from day-to-day: What date it was, the current time, the temperature outside their living quarters, how far into the harvesting or planting season they were, when his labor cell would be allowed their next recreational break, where his cell would be working that day and the next, and so on. NAVs each took their own form, and were visible only to their handlers, but they all had the same general characteristics – they took on an animal form familiar or pleasing to their handler, spoke in either a male or female voice depending on the handler's preference, and had no particular name, just "NAV". One's NAV was assigned to one at birth, as it was essentially a chip implanted in the body that contained all of one's personal information. A NAV was one's closest confidant: part parent, part teacher, and part secretary.

However, lately Naruto had noticed his NAV behaving strangely. It spoke with its own affect, unlike the flat, serious manner he was accustomed to. It had given itself a name, "KYUUBI", and it insisted that Naruto call it by this name rather than the generic "NAV". More noticeable than that though, was that its appearance had begun to change.

Naruto's NAV had always been a fox. Its intelligent, pointed features and large triangular ears had always been dear to him somehow, and he could remember wishing that he could cuddle up to it when he was a small child. Its brilliant reddish fur, though a hologram, had always appeared just that soft to the touch.

Lately though, his NAV seemed to have grown somewhat larger in size than what he could remember, its vulpine form significantly bigger than what he had been taught to associate with the general form of a fox as a child. And what was more, at some point it seemed to have sprouted a second tail.

He hadn't taken notice of it right away, as his NAV's appearance had been as familiar to him as the shape of his own palm since as far back as he could remember. He hadn't really _looked _at it in a good while until then. However, sometime around the beginning of "the strangeness" as he had dubbed it, Naruto had noticed not one, but two fluffy tails bobbing unobtrusively behind his NAV.

However, even more disconcerting than either of these changes were the changes in his NAV's behaviour.

Naruto was quite sure that the directives that his NAV had been issuing him lately were distinctly aberrant from what was the norm. They weren't anything too outrageous really, just..._strange_.

Sometimes KYUUBI would say odd things, like:

**[Look at the sky, Naruto. ****Really **_**look**_**. Doesn't something seem wrong to you?]**, or **[Do**** you know why it is that you have to work constantly like this? Think about it. If you're here working all day, then what are they doing up there in the upper strati?]**, and **[Why ****aren't **_**you **_**up **_**there, **_**Naruto?]**

Or more recently: **[All we would need to do is find away up there. We ****could **_**take **_**this world****,**** Naruto.]**

For the most part when he questioned his NAV's suggestions, it would acquiesce and allow him to do his work, but lately the things that it told him were starting to make more and more sense.

For instance, why _did _Drones lilke himself and Gaara have to work all the time. Was that really all there was to this life? What _did _the people in the upper strati do? Why was it him down here and not them? Was working day in and day out really all that they were good for?

And most importantly...why did the sky seems so odd looking to him lately. It was though if he concentrated hard enough he could see right through to the other side. And what was more, he actually _wanted __to_. Wasn't there some way that he could make it happen? He felt like he had the power to somehow. He just needed to figure it out.

**[And now you're using your brains little fox. Sleep now and sleep well. You're going to need it.]**

That night, as he thought about the sky, its overly bright, downright artificial seeming luminescence, Naruto received the first words of praise he had ever heard from his NAV. It was strangely pleasing.

* * *

><p>It was a few weeks later on a particularly ordinary Friday afternoon that everything clicked into place.<p>

On that day, Naruto had actually completed a full day's work for once without slinking off to daydream in the far fields as he had been prone to do more and more as of late. KYUUBI had been absent from his thoughts since early that morning, presumably off retrieving some information or other that he deemed necessary to his handler's "education" as he called it.

Lately the fox-formed NAV had been disappearing from Naruto's mind more and more often. The blonde had never heard of a NAV doing any such thing before, but lately had come to accept that his KYUUBI was just different. It wasn't necessarily a such bad feeling, this feeling like he was special somehow.

Whatever the case, KYUUBI would go off to collect various information, and return in the evening to share his findings with Naruto. He showed Naruto all kinds of things at night while he lay in bed: clips of videos, information on the Hive and its history, fairy tales and legends from long before the time of the Hives, and all manner of things. For the most part Naruto found it all incredibly fascinating, but to be honest he didn't really understand why it was that KYUUBI was doing all this. What purpose could its actions possibly serve?

Until today.

He had completed his work for the day, and was just about to head back to quarters when he happened to glance up. Expecting to see the usual over-bright blue sky he was accustomed to, instead he was completely taken aback by the disturbing sight that he was confronted with directly overhead.

The only word that came to Naruto's mind was "_gray__"_. The sky was completely gray.

And not just any gray either. It was an ugly, dark metallic gray that stretched over the entire land as far as he could see, broken only by the appearance of what seemed to be large fluorescent lights descending here and there from the murky ash colored ceiling far overhead.

It was almost as if there _was _no sky. How the hell had he never noticed something like _that _before?

In that moment Naruto was overcome with a deep uneasiness, that soon blossomed into fear. The reason the sky above had struck him as so strange before was that it wasn't a sky at all – it was like some kind of an illusion. Was everyone else he knew equally aware of what was looming just overhead, or had they failed to notice this glaring discrepancy in their realities?

The blonde glanced tentatively around himself at the other Drones heading back to their respective living quarters. None seemed to notice that he was standing stock still in the middle of the field. None of them spared so much as a glance up at the...the _thing _above them.

Trembling slightly Naruto took another glance up, as though the terrifying sight he had just taken in might have somehow disappeared, but he was met only with disappointment.

He wanted to tell somebody, _anybody, _what he was witnessing, but something inside told him that was a bad idea. Gaara had already headed back to their shared quarters, probably already washing off in preparation for dinner, which left him alone. Instead of going to find his friend however, Naruto took off as furtively as he could for the far fields, which he had now come to think of as something of a sanctuary – a place where he could think in peace. He didn't trust himself not to fly into hysterics if he went to find his red haired companion right this moment.

The blonde tried to calm himself down once he was far enough away from his fellow workers, but there was nothing for it: Naruto was scared out of his mind.

The very _sky, _something he'd taken completely for granted in its omnipresence, was not what he had thought it was. And the more he thought about it, the more obvious it became that the entire world that he knew, everything around him, was equally as artificial. KYUUBI had tried to show him, had shown him all sorts of video clips of nature – forests, waterfalls, beaches, deserts, mountains – none of those places anything like the place where he lived. He had just never found it in himself to put two and two together.

He had never felt anything too amiss in his surroundings before, but with this new revelation, suddenly all around him it was too silent. No tiny insect voices stirring in the field, no birdsong overhead in the mornings, and no lonely animal howls at night. All around him there was..._nothing_. Nothing but him, the other Drones, and the fields where they worked.

Everything was so so empty seeming, and he felt like a complete idiot for never having thought about it before.

Was this why KYUUBI had been so intent on getting him to pay attention to the sunrise and sunset all the time? But why? And more importantly how was he supposed to go back to his life as if nothing had happened when he now knew what a lie everything around him was? What human could live without a sky overhead?

Overwhelmed by the abrupt changes to his awareness and the sudden foreignness of the world he had once known, the blonde boy sank to his knees and began to cry pitifully. Nothing made any sense at all anymore. Everything he'd been taught since childhood, was it all just lies to keep him a content and productive worker?

**[It's done.]**

KYUUBI's deep, male voice roused him from his pathetic state then, startling him so badly that he nearly jumped out of his own skin.

"KYUUBI? What the hell's going on? There's something wrong with me! With everything! What did you do?" Naruto had never known anger at his NAV before – had never known true anger before at all really – but now he was feeling very betrayed and generally distressed and in his mind KYUUBI was to blame.

**[Be glad. I've found us a way out. It's time to leave this place, Naruto.]**

"Wha-?"

However, his cry of confusion barely had time to leave his mouth before a new voice, this one from outside his head, called out to him.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" a low, gentle female voice rang out from behind him, effectively cutting him off before he could ask his NAV any further questions. Naruto whipped around to face the speaker, and he was greeted with three women in flowing white robes. The one who had spoken stood at the forefront, short dark hair framing her small, sharp features in a way that made her look very serious.

"Y-yeah? Who are you?"

"We've come for you Naruto," one of the women behind her, one with long red hair and soft brown eyes, answered, as though that were all the explanation necessary.

"For me? Wh-where are you taking me? Why?" he queried a bit shrilly, increasingly overwhelmed by the quick turn of events.

However, none of the women seemed perturbed by his frightened reply. Instead all three of them dropped to one knee in unison, each placing their right hands over their hearts as they lowered their heads in reverence.

"Uzumaki Naruto, esteemed carrier of the Z chromosome, we have come to escort you to the world above."

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

So here I am, throwing myself back into the world of fanfiction. It's been far, far too long I say. Now that I have the time, I've decided to work seriously on finishing up what I've started. Most of my works will remain on pause for the time being, as I've decided to pour most of my focus into completing the two fics that I have done the most work on so far – namely this one and "Clockwork", which I really really want to finish up sometime in the very near future. This fic is up there as well though, as I really like the premise for it, and have been meaning to write something with a more mature theme for a while now. Fufufufufu~

Anyway, I'm going to try for shorter chapters with this story in order to get them posted quicker. Wish me luck!

Comments, thoughts, reviews and the like are welcome as usual. I'm just sorry I didn't start working on this one sooner!

-hachibachi


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Two.<strong>

Naruto awoke the next morning with a splitting headache and an urge to splash his face with cold water repeatedly. He had no doubt that Gaara would merely shake his head and pat him on the back the moment the blonde told him the details of the incredible nightmare that he'd had the night before.

Yawning extensively the young Drone stretched his arms and legs all at once, lifting them up off the bed slightly as he curled and uncurled his fingers and toes a few times to get the blood flowing again. After his customary stretch, the blonde rolled over to get off of his bed...

...and kept rolling.

Blinking a few times, Naruto gave himself another roll, and when he did not immediately find himself on the floor he sat up quickly to take stock of his surroundings. His eyes were met with anything but the narrow bed and small, communal sleeping quarters that he was accustomed to. The room he found himself in was too large, too dim, and too warm. The bed that he lay upon was far too soft and wide to be his familiar, well-used one.

A surprised cry broke free of the blonde's lips as his brain slowly caught up to what his senses were telling him.

'"Where am I?" Naruto voiced aloud, flying from the bed to stand in the center of the room, taking in his surroundings frantically.

The room in which he stood was not too much bigger than his usual sleeping quarters, but whereas he had shared his room with two of his work-mates, it was clear from the single, wide platform bed that dominated its center that this room was meant for single-occupancy. Rather than the soft but insistent "natural" sunlight and slight morning chill that normally greeted him upon waking, this room seemed to be artificially lit, with low, LED panels that were located at intervals in the place where ceiling and wall met. The air was set to a constant neutral temperature that felt a bit warm to skin that was used to being exposed to the elements the majority of the time. The entire room also seemed to have been washed in a uniform white color that was soothing to the eyes, giving the feeling of being somewhere up in the clouds.

In an attempt to calm his heart down to its normal rate, Naruto carefully walked himself through everything that he could remember about his last whereabouts. Unbidden, scenes from his awful dream rushed to the forefront of his thoughts: His terrifying realization of the artificial nature of his surroundings, his fear at realizing that he seemed to be the only one aware of this fact, and the subsequent appearance of three women whom he had never seen before, claiming that they had come for him.

The only thing that he could remember after said encounter was waking up from the terrible nightmare and feeling thankful that it hadn't been real, ready to start another ordinary day of work in the fields.

However, thinking back to the dream or whatever it had been, everything about it seemed so incredibly vivid. His emotions had been so terribly real. Soon a dark sense of foreboding was beginning to slink its way up his spine and encircle his throat. There was something very, _very _wrong here.

However, Naruto was allowed no further time to fret over his situation, as in the next minute a low chime sounded from overhead in the room and the LED lighting panels overhead gradually brightened their output until the room was properly lit.

[_Good morning, Z. Please proceed to the main hall for morning meal in thirty minutes. And as always, may our ancestors__'__ blessing and guidance continue to shine brightly upon you.]_

"Ah!" the bewildered youth cried, looking around frantically for the source of the voice. He was accustomed to his NAV's low, masculine voice addressing him in his head from time-to-time, but having a strange female voice speak out to him from seemingly _everywhere _in the room at once was something completely unexpected. He was confused and uneasy to say the least, and he wanted answers _now_.

"KY-KYUUBI!" he cried out desperately, covering his head with his hands, "Where are you?"

No sooner had he called out than his NAV finally materialized at his side, cocking its head at him contemplatively.

**[You're finally awake.]**

"_Am I?_Am I _really _awake KYUUBI?" he half shouted in agitation and fear, "Where are we? What's going on? What was that voice just now?"

**[You are now awake, Naruto. We are currently in Konoha Hive, 4th Stratum – Konoha's Z Program's Central Housing and Education Unit. Right now all Z in this Unit have been ****awakened**** and are currently preparing to proceed to morning meal in the Central Hall,]**the holographic fox replied immediately, temporarily slipping back into the emotionless mechanized tone that all NAVs used when responding to a direct query by their masters.

**[You have thirty minutes remaining until check-in. Would you like to look at your map?]**

"Morning meal...wha-? KYUUBI, where's my unit? Where's Gaara? Why am I wearing these weird clothes?" an increasingly perplexed blonde demanded, poking at the unfamiliar sleeping robe that he was adorned in. They were open at the bottom like some sort of dress or tunic and had a split down the back, exposing him from nape to the small of his back. It was also much softer than his ordinary sleeping garments, and slid across his skin gently with his every movement, causing his skin to tingle a bit.

**[Your old cell members including Gaara are currently located in the 9th Stratum, Block D – Agricultural Production Unit 12.****After your retrieval by an envoy from the Z Observation and Preservation Unit, you became hysterical and had to ****be temporarily sedated. You've been asleep for approximately twenty-three hours and twelve minutes. While you slept a member of the Z Quality of Life Services Unit washed you and changed your clothing into the sleeping robes that you now wear. As you slept members of the Z Education and Safety Unit updated me with information pertinent to your ****new life**** here,]**KYUUBI replied, giving him a thorough though succinct recap of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours or so.

**[You now have twenty-seven minutes until morning meal. Traveling to the main hall will require approximately seven minutes by foot. It's recommended that you depart in no more than twenty minutes. If you would like to wash up first, the bathroom s to your left,]**concluded the fox.

Head reeling, Naruto was at last able to come to the understanding that what he had believed to be a very long and vivid dream had actually taken place, and that he was now located far above everything he had ever known, somewhere in one of the upper strati. He was dumbstruck with the unbelievable turn of events that had taken place in the past day or so, but even so was already formulating a plan as to what he should do next.

As much as he wanted to get back to Gaara right away and tell his friend about the important revelations he'd had in regards to the world they thought they knew, right now what Naruto wanted more than anything was answers. Why was his NAV so different from the others? Why had he been taken from his unit so abruptly? What was with that _sky_?

He wanted to ask KYUUBI more about all these things, but the fox's curt manner left little room for any hesitance on his part. Like it or not, he was going to have to come to terms with the fact that somehow, impossibly, his NAV had its own agenda that was decidedly different from what either he or The Hive had in mind, and was doing everything in its power to further that agenda. He had no doubt that his NAV was merely doing what it deemed necessary for its master's advancement, but Naruto wasn't sure if he was comfortable with where said advancement was taking him or with the speed at which it was doing so. He still trusted KYUUBI to do what was best for his welfare – after all, KYUUBI _was _him, or at least a part of him in a literal sense. He doubted it would do anything that would put both of them in any sort of jeopardy.

All of a sudden Naruto was jarred from these thoughts by an annoying beeping noise that his NAV was currently emitting. It was a sound that he hadn't heard for some time now since KYUUBI's metamorphosis, but he identified it as the warning buzzer that used to sound when he was about to be late for work or when he was forgetting something particularly important. Obviously KYUUBI wanted him to get washed up and go to this morning meal.

Knowing that it was futile to try and go against his NAV's directions at this point, especially as he was unsure what would happen if he were to miss breakfast, Naruto opted to comply for the time being. After all, when he stopped thinking about the pure bizarreness of his circumstances and was honest with his body's needs, he realized that he was actually starving.

The blonde managed to locate the bathroom by heading through an unobtrusive door in the far left corner of the room. Quickly washing up and changing into an almost identical set of spare robes hung conveniently on the bathroom door, Naruto directed KYUUBI to display his holographic map. He then noted the position of the blinking green cursor that indicated his current position in relation to the glowing red circle that pointed out where he was supposed to be heading, surprised to see that he only had about four minutes left.

Apparently he needed to exit the room from its larger, more prominent door and take a left down a long corridor full of doors that presumably lead to other similar sleeping quarters. The structure that they were now located in was rather large. It consisted of two levels, each divided by several long, intersecting hallways with high ceilings. As it was he he had to keep checking the map periodically to make sure that he was still headed directly towards the point marked as the so-called Main Hall. He was still a little unsure of his course, but he knew that KYUUBI would alert him promptly if he were heading too far in the wrong direction.

As he hurried toward his destination, Naruto couldn't help noticing that a real, honest to goodness sky was visible overhead through transparent ceiling panels, and though it wasn't quite as blue as the false one that he remembered, it was relatively free of clouds. A few birds soared overhead.

Seeing this immediately brought his focus back to the corridor in front of him, determination setting his jaw firmly, as Naruto reaffirmed his personal mission.

The very moment he met someone who seemed reliable, he was going to try and get some answers.

* * *

><p>Naruto skidded around the corner, his white robes flying up around his thighs in the resulting tailwind. His work-hardened body was hardly winded from the long jog to the Main Hall, as it was called, but his heart was pounding with the thought of confronting the unknown. He had never met anyone outside his fellow Drones before, and despite his apprehension he was very curious as to what sorts of people lived in the upper strati.<p>

As he came to an abrupt halt right around the corner from what he assumed to be the main hall of the building, He could already hear the sound of many quiet voices coalescing together to form a low hum, signaling that there were several people crowded together in one place nearby. This had to be the location of the hall he had been called to. Taking a deep breath, he rounded the corner with firm steps and proceeded down the corridor until he stood at the edges of what seemed to be a gathering of several other youths, all of whom looked to be around his age. They were all dressed similarly in long white robes like Naruto, and his eyes widened when he realized that about two thirds of them – maybe even more – were actually _girls_.

He was aware that in other parts of his stratum, female Drones did work similar to what he and his work-mates were assigned daily, but he had never actually met one before. Up close like this they seemed so...small. Fragile even. He was actually made a little bit nervous by the prospect of actually having to interact with any.

He had been worried about showing up late, but it appeared that everyone was currently milling around the large corridor, their clothing blending slightly with the pure white wall paneling as they waited for something or other, so he must have made it with time to spare. Just as he was looking about, wondering what exactly this meal entailed, a soft voice, seemingly directed at him, caught Naruto's attention.

"Oh! You there, I haven't seen you before. You're new here aren't you?" came the soft, slightly lilting voice from just up ahead.

Spying out its source, Naruto found himself looking at a small figure, just a little bigger than his friend Gaara, poking its head out from behind a couple of girls who were chattering quietly to themselves in exited voices. Naruto blinked a few times as he realized that he was indeed the one at whom the query was directed. He must have looked rather dumbstruck however, because before he could formulate a proper answer, he was being approached by the speaker, who waved him closer amiably, to which he hesitantly complied.

Up close he was surprised to see that he had been approached by a member of the opposite sex. She had long dark tresses that framed her soft, feminine features handsomely. Her long lashes brushed her smooth ivory cheeks as she blinked a few times, staring at him curiously. The blonde gulped slightly, fairly certain that his cheeks were beginning to flush. She was quite frankly the prettiest thing that he had ever seen.

"What beautiful skin you have," the girl complimented openly, "I've never seen anyone as tan as you are here. Do you spend a lot of time outside?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah I guess," Naruto answered dumbly. He couldn't get over how immaculately pale and soft looking her skin was, or the way her soft cheeks dimpled the slightest bit as she smiled his way benignly.

"Wow! So then you're from one of the labor stati? I've never met anyone from there before," the young woman exclaimed softly with amazement, "Does that mean you're the latent Z everyone's been spreading rumors about? It must be so strange to learn that you're one of us after spending your entire life among ordinary people."

"Oh! N-no I think there's some kind of a misunderstanding," the golden haired boy stuttered slightly, still blushing, "I'm not really a Z, I'm just an ordinary Drone. I'm not really sure why I was brought here, but I'm going to try and sort it out right away so that I can go back to where I belong. My friends are probably worried about me."

The look of sympathy that blossomed in the dark haired girl's eyes then only seemed to make her large, doe-like eyes shine even more beautifully, and did nothing to help lessen Naruto's embarrassingly obvious blush.

"You poor thing," she said, "You must be so disoriented. I had heard that most latent Z have a hard time coming to terms with the change, but it must be truly distressing to be torn away from everything you know all of a sudden like that. If there's any way I can help you adjust, just ask. I'm actually somewhat new here myself, but I'll tell you what I can."

"Ah? Oh, yeah uh, sure. Thank you very much miss...uh..."

"Yukimura Haku. Please just call me Haku," she introduced herself cordially.

"And by the way, I'm not a girl. I'm a boy, silly," Haku added, chuckling softly as a mysterious smile lit his features.

"Eh! Ack! S-sorry! It's just...you're so... "

'_Pretty_' Naruto finished mentally, scratching at the back of his head at the unexpected revelation.. As far he could see Haku seemed to be even more delicate and slender than most of the girls that were gathered in the hall.

"In any case, they're probably going to call us into the dining hall soon. They're always a little late getting breakfast out. Would you like to sit with me?" Haku offered, flashing a brilliant yet somehow natural seeming smile. The more Naruto looked at him however, the more apparent it was that Haku was no girl. Though he was on the slender side and very graceful from what the blonde could tell, he also had slightly squarer shoulders and narrower hips than the females that were mixed in with their group. The shape of the robe he wore, though identical to Naruto's, seemed to accent the slight incurve of his waist and lower back, causing it to make a completely different shape on his body than it did on the taller boy's frame. His facial features also had something of a refined air about them, which was very different from the softly rounded features of the girls their age. If hard pressed to describe the difference, Naruto would almost have to say that Haku was a bit _too_ pretty to be a girl of their age, if that made any sense.

The general aura around the dark haired youth also told him that Haku was definitely a boy, prettiness notwithstanding.

Feeling himself relax a great deal at this thought, Naruto decided that it was fine to address Haku casually just like he did with his work-mates - something that he was grateful for. He found it rather gallant that the other boy had taken the initiative to pick him out and strike up a conversation, giving him the impression that the other was a very friendly person. Feeling his his face loosen into a soft smile to match Haku's, he nodded vigorously in agreement to the other boy's suggestion.

Maybe Haku was just the reliable individual that he had been hoping for.

* * *

><p>"Wow! You mean you came from Kiri?" Naruto exclaimed through a mouth full of eggs and toast, "I've never met anyone from another Hive before. Are things a lot different from here?"<p>

The other boy chuckled at him from across the table, amused by the way that each of Naruto's expressions made themselves evident on the blonde boy's face from one moment to another.

"It's not very good manners to speak with your mouth full, Naruto," he pointed out gently, causing the other boy to pause and blink a few times before taking slower bites of his food, cheeks flaming. "And in answer to your question, in a lot of ways Kiri is similar to Konoha as far as I can tell so far. I've only been here for about three weeks though."

"So you left all your friends to come here?" his companion asked, brow furrowing in concern.

"Well, not really. You see, in Kiri I was one of the only male Z in my generation, so I didn't really have any close friends. I actually volunteered to come here to Konoha on my own," came the quiet reply. Naruto wasn't sure, but the thought he sensed a tinge of sadness in Haku's voice.

"Would you like some more toast?" the dark haired boy asked off-handedly, noticing that the blonde had literally plowed through most of his already, "Those platters in the middle of the table there are for everyone, so feel free to take as much as you like if you want seconds."

"M'okay, 'fanks," came the reply, the blonde catching himself when he realized that he had just been speaking with his mouth full again. "Um, sorry," he added after he had properly chewed and swallowed, throwing Haku an apologetic glance that earned him a slight chuckle in return.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just finicky about that sort of thing," the other boy assured him, "It's actually rather cute."

The latter remark earned him another furious blush and a funny scene as Naruto choked on his eggs a little at the comment.

"A-anyway! Why'd you decide to come to Konoha?"

"Oh that? Well, there had been some issues in Kiri with supporting their Z program. Breeding and raising Z takes a lot of resources, and right now Kiri is in the middle of recovering from an economic slump, so they requested assistance from some of their allies. A number of Z and Carriers from our Hive were sent to other villages to take part in their Z programs, with the promise that we'll all eventually return when things start looking up and they're able to accommodate us again," Haku explained, "So far I know of one other girl who came here from Kiri like me as well as a Carrier from a few grades above me, and I've heard that there are a few other Carriers from our Hive who came here as well."

"Carriers?" Naruto repeated the word experimentally, "What's a Carrier? Is that something like a Z? Never heard of 'em before."

"Wow, you really are fresh off the farm aren't you?" his new friend observed, quickly tempering his statement when he noticed the embarrassed look on Naruto's face. "No worries: We're all going to be entering unknown territory together soon. You'll have plenty of time to catch up on your studies."

'Studies?' the blonde repeated mentally. He did _not _like the sound of that. Or this _unknown__territory _business for that matter. In Naruto's opinion he'd had quite enough of that already. It only further solidified his belief that he definitely did not belong here.

"As for what Carriers are...You know how Z are responsible for continuing the procreation of our kind because we are born with the chromosome that allows us to have children, right?" the dark haired youth began after a deep breath, satisfied when he earned a hesitant nod, "Well, Carriers are an important part of the process too. They're called that because they're people whose genetic background carries the Z chromosome on both sides but who haven't manifested the birthing trait themselves. This means that if they are to father a child with one of us, there is a high chance that that child would turn out to be another Z like of us. The Z chromosome is attached to a recessive gene, and unlike X and Y chromosomes, which determine one's sex and are given by the father, the Z chromosome is independent from one's sex, and has to be given by both parents to produce another Z like us. Without Carriers, the Z program wouldn't be able to continue beyond the first generation without a lot of artificial intervention."

"Oh..." the blond trailed, when he realized that Haku had finished his explanation. It had gone completely over his head as soon as it had reached the part about recessive genes and so-on.

Realizing from the blank look he was receiving that his companion hadn't gotten much out of the explanation, Haku tried breaking it down into its simplest terms.

"Basically, Carriers are bred along with Z, because when the two get together there is a better chance that another Z will be produced. They're very important to keeping the process going, and there's a separate program for them that's very similar to the one that we're in," the slender youth amended, "Does that make sense?"

"I think I get it," Naruto nodded slowly, "So that means that there were some other people from your village who came to Konoha as well and are just in another program right?"

"Exactly," smiled Haku, blushing slightly at the reference, apparently proud that his friend had managed to grasp at least part of his quick and dirty explanation of Z and their genetics. As a reward he popped the last strawberry from his plate into the blonde's mouth and gave him a pat on the head, earning him a slightly perplexed look from the other boy and another blush. Naruto really needed to learn to control his facial expressions just a little bit, he thought. Anything that crossed his mind was as clear as day on his face.

After the blonde had munched down the strawberry, stem and all, he decided it was a good time to ask Haku some of his burning questions. From what he could tell, the dark haired boy seemed to be smart – a lot smarter than the blonde was at least. Naruto had no problem admitting that he wasn't the brainiest person around, but he usually tended to make up for it with cunning. It had been much the same with his best friend Gaara – the other boy just had a knack for understanding more detailed things faster than he could – a trait for which he had been thankful on many occasions.

"So Haku...you know how I told you I don't really belong here?" he began in a slightly hushed tone, diving right into his main topic of interest. In response he received a very firm nod. It seemed as though Haku was taking him seriously, and the other boy's expression held just the right amount of graveness that he knew he could trust his new friend to hold what he said in confidence.

"Well, I'm not kidding about it at all. Something weird is going on here," he insisted, face taking on a deep frown.

"How do you mean?"

"The thing is, I'm not entirely sure about all this "latent Z" stuff and how it works or whatever, but my NAV has been behaving strangely for a while...even before I came here. I'm not positive, but I think that it somehow made up all this stuff about my being a Z so that I could enter the higher strati."

At this Haku's brows raised several centimeters.

Naruto knew why. The idea of a NAV doing anything other than what was sanctioned by Central was unheard of. In the first place, what reason could a NAV possibly have to go against its directives? Naruto himself hadn't even thought that it was possible until it had actually happened.

"Naruto, do you realize what your saying?" the other boy replied furtively, leaning in across the table where they sat as his voice took on a more hushed tone. Thankfully the other boys and girls nearby were too engrossed in their own conversations to bother eavesdropping. "I'd say it's impossible if you weren't giving me such a serious look right now. How on earth could something like that be real?"

Letting out a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding until right that moment, Naruto opted to tell Haku everything that he could think of regarding KYUUBI's strange behavior and how it had begun. When he had finished recounting his tale, the other boy just sat back in his seat across the table from the blonde, dumbstruck.

Realizing that his friend was at a loss for words, Naruto decided to break the silence himself with a low sigh of exhaustion. He just couldn't believe how good it felt to get this all off of his chest at last. The weight of what was mulling around in his head had been driving him crazy.

After taking a deep breath and a sigh of his own, Haku took on a very thoughtful look for a moment before finally voicing his opinion on the matter.

"Well, first of all, I have to say that I really am glad I met you today Naruto." This surprising admission was far from what the blonde was expecting, but it seemed that the dark haired youth wasn't finished.

"I have to say – you're definitely the most interesting person I've ever met...and you're so cute! I can also tell that everything you're telling me is the truth as far as you know it, but I'm not sure that you're going to like what I have to say..." the other boy prefaced before stating his thoughts, "I know you think that your NAV's behaviour is extremely odd what with its giving itself a name and all, and I do agree something is definitely off. However, I think there's a possibility that your being a latent Z isn't just something fabricated by your NAV as a convenient means to get you out of the labor sector."

Naruto's eyes widened a bit at this. He was flabbergasted by the idea, but none the less eager to hear exactly what grounds Haku had to believe that he belonged in the Z Program.

"The thing is-"

_[Good morning, Z. Please be aware that morning meal will be ending in five minutes. At this time please finish your meals and proceed to hall number five to begin the marking process. And as always, may you continue to be our shining beacons of hope.]_

Naruto very nearly jumped out of his seat at the sudden sound of what he now realized was an overhead PA system addressing all of the youths in the dining hall. A moment later he felt rather embarrassed as nobody else seemed to have batted an eye, but squashed down that feeling with one of indignation.

So what if he was a little inordinately startled by the omnipresent female voice that filled the room at random intervals? He wasn't used to this, dammit.

He had just turned to Haku to ask him to continue his train of thought when his cerulean blue gaze met the other boy's glittering sapphire one, which seemed wide with anxiousness.

'Marking...?' Naruto repeated to himself in his mind. Something about the quality of finality that was placed on the word unnerved him.

And judging by the worried, uneasy look that marred Haku's normally calm and graceful features, something was definitely amiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

Woo-woo! I can't believe I managed to knock out another 4k+ words last night! Yay~

Sorry that this chapter couldn't contain more action. We're still getting through the arduous process of explaining what the hell is going on. For now we'll just have to satisfy ourselves with Naruto being made inordinately bashful by Haku's prettiness. Haku, you little trap you!

No worries though, because the next chapter will mark the end of stage setting and we will get some fun interaction between our two main characters (at last!). I earnestly hope readers are looking forward to finally meeting Sasuke in this fic as much as I'm looking forward to writing him. I can assure you that we are all in for a fun time. X'D

One reviewer was kind enough to ask me whether Naruto really is a carrier of the Z chromosome or if KYUUBI is just falsifying his stats to further its own agenda. Great question! Unfortunately, to answer it would be to pretty much ruin the whole darn story. D':/ Sorry carms-lain!

I'm also just realizing that I had to end this chapter at somewhat of an odd little cliffhanger as well. But I'm doing my best to keep the chapters short and to the point so that we can get through this thing! So bear with me, please?

Don't fear...I has a plan!

With my humblest apologies, I shall do my very best to crank out the next chapter...tonight!


	3. Chapter 3

**_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Preface:<strong>

Hey there and thanks again for reading! :-D It's come to my attention that a little more explanation of how Z and their genetics work is necessary for some folks. For that reason, I've decided to preface this chapter with...

"**Hachi's Easy Z Genetics Explanation for Readers"!**

In this short explanation, I'm going to make a list of all possible genetic combinations based on which genes are given from each parent. For the purposes of this explanation we will assume that in each case the two parents' genetic profiles are as follows:

Parent 1=XYZ(Male, non-childbearing, z-carrier)

Parent 2=XXZZ(Female, childbearing, z-carrier)

I will now list each possible result from a union of these two donors, in this format:

{Genes given from parent 1}+{Genes given from parent 2}={Resulting child's genetic profile}

{Y}+{X}={XY} – male, sterile

{Y}+{XZ}={XYZ} – male, non-childbearing, z-carrier

{YZ}+{XZ}={XYZZ} – male, childbearing, z-carrier

{X}+{X}={XX} – female, sterile

{X}+{XZ}={XXZ} – female, non-childbearing, z-carrier

{XZ}+{XZ}={XXZZ} – female, childbearing, z-carrier

These are all possible combinations. Note here that only those with the double Z chromosome (like Haku in our story) are able to bear children and are labelled with the term "Z". For those who have a single Z chromosome (called "Carriers"), childbirth isn't possible, but they are bred with Z to produce offspring. The reason for this, is that whenever two Z (for example an XYZZ and an XXZZ parent) reproduce, their offspring is always sterile. In the Z Program, Z are bred exclusively with Carriers, in the hopes that more shinobi with at least one Z chromosome will be produced.

So there you have it! Hopefully this little rundown will help anybody out there who's been scratching their head in confusion thus far. If you're still puzzled, no worries! All you need to know for the purposes of this story is that Z are the ones who can bear children, and Carriers are used to impregnate them. Simple, yeah?

With that out of the way...on to the next chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Three.<strong>

As the overhead system completed its announcement, Naruto knew it wasn't just his imagination that a strained hush fell over the dining hall. Its high ceiling and the way the sunlight bounced off the pure white wall paneling of the room clashed directly with the sense of heaviness that swept in all of a sudden.

"Haku...? What was that about?"the blonde queried, looking to his dark haired companion anxiously.

His uneasy sounding voice seemed to snap Haku back to reality.

"Ah? Oh, Naruto, this isn't good," the other boy whispered across the table fretfully, "Today we undergo that marking process."

"Marking? What's a marking process?"

Haku shook his head as if to clear it, before pinning the blonde with a grave look.

"There's not enough time to explain – I'm sorry!" the attractive youth apologized, sounding hurried, "Just trust me, alright?"

Still not sure why everyone was acting so tense all of a sudden, Naruto knew nonetheless that it would be foolish not to listen to Haku. He nodded slowly to show his assent. Seemingly relieved by this, the dark haired boy released a deep sigh.

"Alright. Now listen, in a couple minutes they're going to escort all of us to hall number five so that we can undergo the marking process. It's a bit too complicated to explain to you thoroughly right now. Just remember that when we get to hall five, you need to try and stay out of sight. Don't do anything to attract attention to yourself, and please do **not** by any means speak to _anyone_ there, okay?"

It was no surprise that a look of perplexity washed over the blonde's features at these words. He was at once surprised by Haku's request and also uneasy. This marking business sounded terrifying so far, and he still hadn't even been clued in to what it was all about yet.

Fearful of what was to come and yet a little tense with excitement at facing the unknown, Naruto followed Haku's lead as they were both swept up into the crowd of Z on their way to hall five.

Hall five turned out to be all the way on the other side of the building, which meant that Naruto had to endure a long trek surrounded by his anxiously chattering fellows. They seemed to be all atwitter about whatever this marking thing was, but he was receieving mixed messages of excitement and worry. The atmosphere only served to increase his own nervousness, and he found himself looking to the smaller dark haired boy's face periodically for signs of how he was reacting to what was to come.

When they finally reached their destination, a woman dressed in airy white robes stood to the side of the entryway to greet them and usher them in. They both smiled kindly as the youths filed their way into the room, whispering words of encouragement and well-wishes here and there. Naruto recognized her right away as one of the women who had come to retrieve him from the fields two days past.

"Oh, you mean Shizune?" Haku replied when the blonde asked who exactly she was, "She's the assistant director of the program. She and the director look after our progress and meets with each of us individually from time to time. Shizune is kind of a matronly figure here. Whenever we have something big coming up, she always turns up to encourage us."

Naruto was a bit surprised at this. If she was the assistant director of the entire program, then that meant that she would have a lot of knowledge about any goings on pertaining to the admission of new Z. She would certainly be able to answer his questions.

However, by the time he thought to speak with her, they had already been ushered inside the large hall, where their fellows whispered amongst themselves anxiously, waiting for the marking process to begin.

They were not made to wait for long however, as in a moment the portal that they had entered through sealed shut with a soft hiss, and the overhead cued on again.

[_Good afternoon Z. Please prepare to begin the marking process. And as always, may you continue to provide a beacon of hope to us all._]

As the overhead's words faded, a tense hush fell over the entire group. Everyone turned their eyes to the far end of the room, opposite that which they had entered from. There was another low hiss as a large door on that end of the hall opened up, allowing more individuals to enter the room. They were dressed in uniform like Naruto and the others, however they each wore a sleeveless top and three quarter pants, both dyed a deep nave color, almost black. They all stood out starkly against the soothing white color that blanketed the entire room, including their Z counterparts. He also noticed that each one of them seemd to be wearing an odd sort of wristband on one arm, which glinted silver under the bright LED lighting that poured down from overhead.

"Naruto, this is it," Haku whispered tensely, grabbing his hand, "You need to make yourself scarce before it starts. See that corner over there?"

The blonde turned his attention to the far end of the room, following his companion's gaze.

"Yeah. What should I do?"

"You can't see it from here, but there's a small alcove over there that's a blind spot from the rest of the room," the dark haired boy explained, "If you can make it over there you can wait things out until the marking process is over. Think you can do that?"

Narrowing his gaze in the direction of said blind spot, he thought about it for a second before giving a sharp nod.

"If I stick to the wall and hide behind the crowd I bet I can make it," he replied carefully. This seemed to please his friend as a look of relief passed over his delicate features and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

"Good luck," came Haku's encouraging voice. And with that, he cave his new friend a soft pat on the back for courage, Naruto's cue to get going.

It was surprisingly easy to sneak over to the other side of the room. Everyone seemed to be preoccupied with whatever it was that the marking process entailed – too much so to notice as one blonde stole his way over to a far corner of the room.

When he reached his objective, Naruto realized that it was just as Haku had said – there was a slight dip in the wall's contour here, forming a small alcove which was hard to notice due to the fact that the way one wall over-extened formed a small lip, which hid him from view. It was indeed a blind spot unless you were standing right next to it. The fact that his white robes matched the room's decor couldn't hurt either.

Confident that he was sufficiently hidden – or at least as well-hidden as possible – for the time being, Naruto peeked around the lip of the alcove, curious as to what the marking process entailed. From what he could see nothing too strange was taking place so far. On either sides of the room, the two groups seemed to be tentatively sizing each other up for the moment. He did note however, that as opposed to his group, which included girls as well as boys, the opposite group seemed to consist entirely of males. In fact, so far the only thing about the current situation that made the blonde slightly uneasy was the way that his NAV remained suspiciously quiet throughout.

Just as Naruto was pondering the possible significance of this difference in the groups' compositions, however, the tension in the room seemed to hit its peak. The two groups slowly began to mingle. From what he could see, both his fellow Z and their darkly clad counterparts circulated through the gradually mixing crowd, and seemed to be conversing a little. Nothing struck him as too odd about the spectacle, until he noticed that one by one the members of the two groups seemed to be pairing off and heading to stand along the wall, breaking themselves off from the main group. He quirked an eyebrow at this, and suddenly wondered if Haku were doing the same. If this were all the marking process entailed, then he saw little cause for the amount of alarm that his dark haired friend had exhibited earlier.

Wondering what had become of the slender boy, Naruto furtively combed the room with his eyes, until he finally spied Haku's graceful form. His eyebrows raised as he saw the other boy standing opposite a particularly tall individual from the opposing group. His friend seemed to be in deep conversation with the other, who positively dwarfed him in stature. Haku however, did not seemed to be intimidated. On the contrary, his features seemed to light up as he conversed with said individual, as though he had been reunited with a long-lost friend. In another few moments, they two turned and broke off from the crowd, heading to a far end of the room where they stood engaged in concersation once more.

"Huh...maybe he's one of the others from Kiri that Haku was talking about? " the blonde mused softly to himself. The two had seemed awfully familiar with one another. As he stood watching his friends reactions to the other's words, Naruto felt happy for his friend. He had definitely sensed a sort of loneliness in the boy despite his kind manner, and that loneliness seemed to have fled his expression. If Haku was looking so pleased, surely this "marking" couldn't be so terrible.

It was just as Naruto was pondering the possible meaning of the marking process that a voice from directly behind startled him from his reverie.

"Oi, you there," came the low, masculine voice, "You're new aren't you. What are you doing over here?"

At these words, the blonde whipped around to face the speaker, a sense of dread falling over him. Haku had specifically warned him not to make contact with anyone.

"Eh? Ah!...I..." Even as he struggled to formulate words, the speaker stalked over to him, giving him a sharp glare. As the other pierced him with a sharp gaze that seemed cut from solid onyx, Naruto realized that he was being addressed by a member of the opposite group.

The boy looked to be about his age, and was perhaps a few centimeters taller than he, with smooth pale skin to rival even Haku's and pitch black hair that framed either side of his face, contrasting sharply with his ivory skin. Like Haku he had a refined air about him, but unlike his friend this boy was built slightly more sturdily judging by the well muscled arms that flowed from sleeveless shoulder, ending in deceptively narrow wrists. Also unlike Haku's was the sharp glare that marred the boy's features, giving a very severe expression to his otherwise graceful features.

"A male, huh?" the boy stated, giving Naruto a quick once-over, "Well? What are you doing over here?"

"I...uh...nothing..." Naruto wanted to slap himself as his words only seemed to deepen the suspicious look on the other's face. He was supposed to be making himself scarce, and here he was arousing the other boy's suspicion.

"Hn." Came the reply – more of a short expulsion of air through the nose than anything. The blonde got the impression that he was being sneered at, though the other continued to pin him with the same irritated looking gaze.

"What?" Naruto demanded after a moment of being stared at, finally feeling his own annoyance creep in to replace his fear, "Are you gonna stand here and stare at me all day?"

His sharp reaction seemed to only further pique the other's interest, as the boy proceeded to circle him, apparently sizing him up. Naruto followed him with his eyes, turning himself around as the boy went around him in slow steps. He didn't like the way the other looked him up and down with a critical eye, and out of some deep instinct he felt it best to avoid showing the dark haired stranger his back.

Finally when the other boy seemed to have finished eyeing him, he suddenly closed the distance between them, forcing Naruto to back up in surprise until his back collided with the solidity of the wall.

"What's your name," the dark haired boy demanded abruptly, stopping when his face was just a few centimeters from Naruto's own. He could feel the boy's warm breath wash against his neck as he spoke.

"Naruto..." he answered, surprised at his own voice when he realized how easily he had given up an answer.

"Naruto..."the other repeated slowly, as if tasting the word on his tongue. After seemingly rolling the name around on his tongue for a moment, the boy smirked at him slightly, an expression that both surprised the blonde and put him on alert.

"You'll do."

And with those words, the mysterious youth brought his right wrist up, and circled it around until it touched the back of the golden haired boy's neck. Naruto shudderd as he felt cool metal, presumably the odd wristband that the boy wore, brush his nape. He blinked in confusion, and then cried out as there was a sudden sharp pain at place where the boy's wrist was connected with his neck.

Confused, he pinned the other boy with a harsh glare as the dark haired youth finally backed out of his personal space, a satisfied look smoothing his aquiline features slightly. Naruto was just about to ask him what the _hell_ that had been about when KYUUBI's voice at last sounded in his mind, effectively chasing all other thoughts from his mind.

**[Congratulations, Master. You have successfully completed the marking process.]**

The next sequence of events passed Naruto in something of a whirlwind as his mind grew fuzzy, reeling with the understanding that he had just done exactly what Haku had explicitly told him _not_ to do. As he stood stock still, eyes widening to saucers, the other boy had taken him roughly by the hand and led him over to the far end of the room, where other pairs stood conversing quietly or silently observing the others who had yet the break off from the main group.

The ebony haired boy, who had yet to introduce himself properly, tugged Naruto's unresisting form over to a section of the wall that was yet unclaimed. Naruto wondered faintly if he had just imagined having locked gazes with Haku as he passed and seem a deep look of foreboding cross over the other boy's features. As it was, Naruto thought that he might be hallucinating, as the edges of his vision grew a little bit fuzzy. He swore that he could see a dark figure beginning to materialize on the shoulder of the boy who was leading him, and had to rub his eyes with his free hand to assure himself that he wasn't seeing things.

But no, the figure did not go away, and in fact was growing more and more corporeal as he stood gawking at the young man who had abruptly dragged him across the room. Soon he was staring on in awe as a large avian figure stood perched calmly on the other boy's left shoulder, its sharp beak pointing directly at Naruto as it seemd to gaze at the blonde inquisitively.

And then he heard another unfamiliar voice startling him from his thoughts abruptly, much like when KYUUBI spoke to him in his mind.

[**My apologies for my master's brusque behavior. Uzumaki Naruto, it is a pleasure to meet you,] **spoke the masculine voice. Unlike KYUUBI's deep growl, it was a pleasant sounding tenor. **[You may call me Hayato. Please feel free to ask me anything. I will do my best to comply.]**

Eyes still wide, it was all Naruto could do to nod slowly at the polite voice, realizing that it had originate from the bird that appeared to be perched on the dark haired boy's shoulder. He was only able to deduce such as said boy stood glaring at the avian figure. Strangely enough the other boy did not seem to be made uncomfortable by the way the bird's raptor-like talons gripped his left shoulder. From this Naruto could only deduce that the creature was some kind of hologram, just like his KYUUBI. As he watched, "Hayato", as it had called itself, turned to face its so called master, pinning the boy with a...well...raptor-like gaze. Naruto blinked, realizing that what he was seeing was the other boy's NAV.

**[Young master, please introduce yourself. You're being very rude.]**

Naruto gaped openly as he witnessed what he had thought to be the impossible. He had never heard of someone being able to see another person's NAV. The very idea was downright salacious.

"You..." Naruto whispered, finally managing to find his voice again, "Are you...his...NAV?"

The answer to his question came from an unexpected source.

"What else would he be?" the dark haired boy said abruptly, and then after a sharp glare from Hayato added, "Sasuke."

Naruto just stared, completely confused as to what was going on.

"My name, idiot. It's Sasuke." he added when the golden haired boy merely continued to stare at him, softening his tone only slightly when he offered his name again.

"...Oh," the blonde breathed in response. Even Naruto himself was amazed at how witty and thoughtful his replies were today.

Seeminly satisfied that he had provided the minimum ammount of courtesy for the time being, Sasuke focused his gaze on nothing in particular as he turned his eyes to the cener of the room, where members of both groups were still gradually pairing off. Cowed into silence by the increasinly confusing circumstances, Naruto proceeded to do the same. Though he thought that he felt Sasuke glance furtively slide over to at him from time to time, he was entirely too nervous to look the other boy's way, so he couldn't be sure.

After another several minutes of tense silence, there remained only about half as many individuals in the center of the room as had entered, and none of them seemed to be very eager to engage the others. The remaining Z and their darkly clad counterparts had broken off and grouped back together with their fellows, neither group seeming particularly interested in the other.

Shortly afterward, the overhead system cued on again.

[_Z and respective Carriers, congratulations on a successful marking. Please stand by to be escorted to your new residences by members of the Hospitaly and Quality of Life Unit. May your successful partnership result in a brighter future for all of us,_] the low, feminine voice said, [_As for those who have yet to complete the marking process: We have high hopes for your successful marking in the future. Please continue to be a shining beacon of hope for all of Konoha._]

With that the overhead system cut off, leaving those in the room to glance about excitedly, awaiting what was to come.

In another minute the doors on the opposite end of the room, the doors that the so-caled"Carriers" had entered through, hissed open again and men and women clad in the same dark navy stood on either side of said door. As if on cue, the pairs along the walls immediately headed in their directione.

Glancing nervously about for signs of Haku and his gigantic Carrier counterpart, Naruto found himself moving as one with the crowd, his uneasiness piqued even further by the sharp glances that Sasuke shot his way now and then. Whatever was to happen next, Naruto thought to himself, it was definitely _not_ part of the plan.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

And so we come to the end of another chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. On top of that, there wasn't as much progress in this chapter as I had hoped for! -_-;; The short chapter lengths means I can get chapters out quickly, but also make it a little diffucult to fit as much as I want into each one.

But at least we got to finally meet Sasuke! I'm going to have a lot of fun fleshing him, Naruto, and their relationsip out in this fic. I'm going for a strong romantic element here, which is kind of new for me. Wish me luck!

Next chapter we'll get some more info on the Z program and KYUUBI's agenda as well. So lots to look forward to!

Thanks again to everyone who left their thoughts so far. As always, thoughts, questions and suggestions are all welcome!

-hachi


	4. Chapter 4

****_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_****

* * *

><p><strong>Four.<strong>

As it turned out, Naruto didn't have to wait long for a chance to speak with Haku again after the marking process had ended. Immediately afterward, he, Sasuke, and all the other individuals who had successfully paired off were ushered politely from the hall number five and into another long hallway. Individuals in white or dark navy uniforms greeted them in said hall with polite bows as they filed in. Then, once they had all exited the marking room, the double doors hissed closed behind them and the overhead cued on again.

_[Z and respective Carriers, congratulations once again on a successful marking. From here you will meet with your new primary instructors, who will guide the rest of the way on your final steps into adulthood. Each of your NAVs have already been updated with details as to whom your instructors will be. During the brief orientation that follows, please feel free to direct your questions to your instructors. They will be offering their full support, so avail yourselves of their knowledge and experience throughout your time here. You will now proceed to your new classrooms. Good luck, and once again may your continue to be the Hidden World's shining beacons of hope.]_

After the announcement had concluded, Naruto looked to Sasuke nervously when he felt the other boy's gaze skewering him again, but this time the young Carrier turned his head away with a passe look. Something was definitely up with him, but at the moment the blonde hadn't the courage to pursue it. One question was nagging him, however, and after a moment of awkward silence and staring at his own feet, he gave in to temptation.

"S...Sasuke...right?" he began tentatively, annoyed at his own hesitance. It wasn't that he was afraid of the other boy, but rather the looming unknown that was now his future.

"Mn," the dark haired boy answered, still looking away. Naruto took this as an affirmative answer.

"If I can see your NAV, does that mean you can see mine too?"

This question earned him an exasperated gaze from the other boy, but surprisingly he did not snap at the blonde again.

"Of course I can. Kyuu, right?" he replied, crossing his arms, "Look, Naruto, your NAV filled me in while you were busy gawking around like a caught fish. You were a Drone, right?"

"Um...yeah." Naruto answered lamely, blinking several times in bewilderment at the other boy's surprisingly lenient, if a bit irritated, tone. It was the most Sasuke had spoken to him since their awkward meeting.

The other boy rolled his eyes at Naruto's wide-eyed gaze.

"Just so we're clear, I have no interest in where you're from or what you _think_ you may know. I chose you, you accepted. Get used to it," he continued sternly, "Instead of staring at me like an idiot, do yourself a favor and check in with your NAV to find out who your instructor is. The others are starting to stare."

Glancing around, Naruto realized that indeed they were the only two who had not broken off and headed toward their respective instructors. Cheeks flaming, Naruto hurriedly pulled up the newly loaded information through KYUUBI as Sasuke turned with a sigh and strode off to where a group of boys had already gathered around a man dressed in the same navy blue as Sasuke and the other Carriers.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the long name that came up beside the ID photo indicating who his instructor would be. Apparently his teacher was a male. Looking up, he glanced around the hall until he spotted a long mane of dark hair framing sharp, almost feminine features – a man identical to the photo KYUUBI had produced for him stood not far away. A group of boys in the same white robes that Naruto himself wore idled nervously around said individual, occasionally glancing the blonde's way with concerned looks. Realizing that Haku was among them and seemed to be giving him a very worried look, the blonde scampered over abashedly under said instructor's sharp gaze to stand with his fellows.

The instructor's gaze did not soften when Naruto glanced up into the stern face from under his lashes, giving him the impression that his dawdling had not been appreciated. However, rather than reprimanding him the man's narrow face suddenly split in half in a rather sly looking smirk.

"I do understand your eagerness to be together with your partners as much as possible," came the man's low voice. Naruto couldn't help but notice how his tongue lingered just a little too long on his sibilants, giving one the impression of a snake attempting to speak in human tongue. "However, for the better part of the next hour, you are _mine_."

Every one of the boys in their group seemed to shiver with fright at the man's words. Though he addressed them all, he made a point to look directly at Naruto as he spoke.

"This way, if you please."

And with that, their new instructor ushered his obviously hesitant pupils into the room behind him, looking for all the world like a wolf herding a group of nervous sheep to their dooms.

* * *

><p>As they entered the classroom, Haku made a point of covertly sidling over to where Naruto was, as the instructor indicated that they should take a seat where they pleased. The room was rather small and intimate, arranged with just enough seating for the dozen or so boys – including Haku and Naruto – who occupied the room. The desks were low to the ground – low enough that rather than chairs, dark navy blue sitting cushions were placed behind each of them. There was a wide holographic display board at the head of the class, positioned directlybehind the instructor's desk, which was mcu like their own but quite a bit wider and slightly more elevated. As they had entered the room first, Naruto and Haku were quick to snatch up two of the three seats in the very back row.<p>

"_Naruto! What on earth happened?_" Haku whispered hurriedly as soon as they were seated. The blonde could only shake his head from side to side helplessly in response. To be honest, Naruto himself wasn't quite sure what had just transpired in the marking room. His head was currently spinning around the possible meanings of the parting words that Sasuke had left him with. He wanted dearly to tell Haku everything that had transpired right then and there, if only to get the weight of it off his own chest.

Unfortunately, that was not to be allowed.

"Welcome to Advanced Z Life Studies," the instructor began as soon as they were all seated, "As Z, beginning a successful life with your chosen partner is one of your final steps toward adulthood. In this class we will address all aspects of your lives as successful partners and – eventually – parents, from physiology to relationships and matters of intimacy. You should consider this a safe place to discuss any and everything having to do with your duty as Z."

As their teacher launched into a lecture about the specifics of what they would be covering in his class, every pupil sat at perfect attention, backs rigid. There was a definite tense hum of nervous anticipation throughout the room, as if every student was on edge for some reason.

"_What's with this guy?_" Naruto whispered as covertly as he could, casting a furtive glance toward their instructor, "_Why is everyone so nervous?_"

"_That's Orochimaru. He's one of the most respected male Z in the history of Konoha's Z Program,_" came his friend's tense reply, "_They say he's had over twenty children, and all of them have gone on to become either famous shinobi or as Z and Carriers themselves! I've heard that when he's not around everyone calls him 'Orochimama'... There were rumors that he had retired to focus on training future generations of male Z a few years back but..._"

"_Yukimura Haku. _Is there something that you would like to share with the rest of the class?"

Both Naruto and Haku's backs stiffened right away at the loud voice that emanated from right next to them, effectively drawing all eyes in the room to where the two sat with their heads bowed close together. It seemed Orochimaru had managed to slither his way down the aisle until he stood almost directly beside them.

"Ah, no," Haku replied as smoothly as he could, tossing the teacher one of his winning smiles, "I was just answering a question."

"Is that so?" Orochimama answered back with a smile that was as chilling as Haku's was congenial. Naruto was beginning to think that his smile was more frightening than his glare. "Well in the future I would appreciate it if you would direct all of your questions to _me_, the instructor. Are we clear Mr...Uzumaki Naruto, is it not?"

Naruto merely gulped slowly and nodded back once in silence as the instructor's stern gaze landed on him again.

"Good. I'll also thank you both to save the intimacy for your partners, if you please," he added a bit teasingly.

Confident that he had by equal parts chastened his students and directed all attention in the room back to himself, Orochimaru proceeded to the front again.

"Because I'm in such a generous mood – and since you all seem so _chatty_ – I suppose I'll skip the rest of the orientation for now and get right to the Q&A."

"So, Mr. Uzumaki, just what is it that you were wondering that couldn't wait?" the instructor queried, raising a single eyebrow as he turned his gaze to the still flushed blonde.

In an attempt to spare his friend any further unwanted attention Haku quickly answered in Naruto's place.

"Naruto just wanted to know what happens when a Z is for some reason unable to fulfill their role as a member of the program," the dark haired boy covered for him.

Orochimaru's eyes seemed to light up a bit at this, as his lips formed again into that foreboding smile.

"What a surprisingly astute question, Mr. Uzumaki," the exceedingly eccentric teacher smirked, his admittedly beautiful yellow-green eyes narrowing to near slits in what seemed to be some kind of sadistic pleasure," I belive this is the first class where I've been allowed the privilege of explaining what happens in the rare case that a Z isn't up to the task of continuing the shinobi line so early."

Naruto practically heard alarm bells going off in his head at Orochimaru's words. For his part the brunette at his side tossed the blonde a meaningful glance from the corner of his eye, as if to say '_This is meant for you, Naruto. Listen up._'

Seeming to feed on the positively stricken gazes that the rest of the class was casting on him at the very mention of being unable to fulfil their duty, Orochimaru launched right into his explanation. It seemed, somewhat surprisingly, that their odd instructor also had an slight flare for the dramatic.

"I'm sure you've all heard rumors that sometimes - though it is _exceedingly_ rare - for some reason or other a Z is found unwilling to mate or even incapable of producing offspring," he prefaced, adding a slightly derisive snicker at the few who nodded in response, "Kukuku...Well, allow me to set the record straight for you."

"To begin with, the consequences vary depending on whether the individual is conscious of their circumstances and fails to bring it to the attention of staff before they undergo marking, as well as whether their condition is a result of psychological trauma, injury or even hereditary disease.

"In the event that said Z is merely unwilling to participate, they are usually sent for a conference with their instructors and the director and vice-director of the Program. This usually results in the individual being sent for psychological analysis and intensive counseling.

"Infertility is an entirely different matter. If it is a result of injury or disease and attempts to rectify the problem prove ineffective, they will naturally be expelled from the program, and thereafter will either be reeducated and sent to one of the other Strati or be made members of the Z Program's support staff. For anyone who becomes aware of their infertility and fails to inform faculty or staff, reprecussions can be...severe. At the very least the individual would be sent before the High Council for arbitration."

Gazing about and finding that the entire classroom seemed to be hanging on his every word in tense anticipation, Orochimaru gave them all a serpentine smile, pleased at the sensational effect that he was having on his students.

It seemed however, that their instructor was far from finished.

"Of course the party in question is not the only one to be affected by such circumstances. In the event that any Z who has for some reason been found infertile completes the marking process, there are also reprecussions for their partner. Because Carriers are indefinitely bound to whichever Z they mark, regardless of the circumstances, that Carrier will be unable to be pair with another partner, and will therefore become unable to participate in the program any longer. This is a particularly unfortunate situation for the Carrier in question. As we all know, after the marking process is complete, both parties' hormones become increasingly sensitive to their partners. Inability to mate leads to various health complications in Carriers and – over time – severe psycosis. As such it is common for a Carrier whose Z has been found infertile to be either neutered, re-educated, and sent to work in another Stratum, or – in extreme cases - put down."

At Orochimaru's words, a hush of finality settled over the entire room, as they all looked down at their desks in varying states of shock and fear. Haku cast a particularly apologetic glance Naruto's way.

"Well, fear not my little hatchlings," the man added a short while after he had confirmed that his words had completely sunken in, waving his hand gracefully as if to dispel the air of tension in the room, "There have only been a few cases of Z being found infertile or unwilling over the entirety of the program's history, and none in the past three generations. In almost all cases the program's director at the time was able to devise an outcome agreeable to all parties involved. None of you have anything to to nworry about."

This time he sent a more genuine, though still slightly predatory smile, down at his gaping pupils. Strangely enough, with the exception of Naruto and Haku, this seemed to calm them significantly.

"With that out of the way, how about I address some of your more serious questions, mm?"

At these words the rest of the class began tentatively directing their questions and concerns at their new instructor, gaining confidence as he continued to answer them seriously, almost kindly at times.

Naruto's mind, however, had gone blank ever since the end of the explanation. Now he knew why Haku had been so worried about him participating in the marking process. And suddenly, his situation was infinitely more serious than just having to deal with a taciturn and hard to read partner. Being expelled from the program, he could understand. In fact, he had been hoping that once he spoke to the director of this program, whomever she might be, he would be removed from it at once.

Even being sent before the High Council didn't sound that bad in honesty. Granted he might not see Gaara and his other cell-mates for a long time after that – maybe even never – but least then he might get some of the answers that he so yearned for. To be frank, he wasn't sure he could deal with being sent back to the fields now after what he had seen and heard anyway.

But Sasuke...

He'd had no idea what marking meant. If he backed out now, he'd be stealing Sasuke's chance at fulfilling his duty as a Carrier. Orochimaru clearly had a penchant for dramatics and putting the fear of God into his students out of some sadistic sense of humor, but Naruto did not doubt the veracity of his words. His inability to do...that...with Sasuke could eventually put the other boy's health at serious risk, even the threat of death.

Naruto unconsciously curled his arms around himself in defense just thinking about it. If he'd had even an inkling of what it meant to be marked, he would have opposed it tooth and nail instead of emptyheadedly falling into it like he had. But it seemed as if fate was propelling him on a jet-coaster course that he had no ability of stopping or even slowing. Like it or not, it looked like he and Sasuke were partnered – for _good – _and for better or worse, any action he took would have severe reprecussions on the other boy, no matter what his intentions might be.

The blonde spent the rest of the class turning over and over in his head the circumstances that had led him to where he now found himself, and wondering if there was any way possible that his situation could be further complicated.

* * *

><p>Once their class adjourned for the day, Naruto, eyes downcast, followed his classmates back out the way they had come, leaving their instructor behind and to his own devices. He was startled slightly when he felt something soft press against his side from behind.<p>

"Haaa..." Haku let out a soft sigh, as he leaned gently against his new friend. It was something of an unfamiliar gesture to Naruto, but somehow heartening nonetheless.

"Sorry about that Naruto," the slight boy said, sounding truly apologetic, "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. I didn't think he'd be so dark about it. Are you going to be alright?"

Not wanting to worry Haku any further than he already had, Naruto meant to offer words of assurance. But instead, the moment he opened his mouth, he felt a lump jump up into his throat from somewhere deep down and bury itself there. Instead of putting his doting friend's concerns to rest like he had meant to, he suddenly found himself fighting back tears. Naruto had never been faced with such complicated situations before. Two days ago he'd had nothing to worry about besides what field he'd be working in, or whether he'd be on cleaning duty at night. Suddenly it was as if the weight of another person's future was thrust upon him, and to be honest he was scared half to death by it. Was this what it meant to be marked? If so, it seemed like a fate worse than death at the moment.

Sensing the change in his friend's aura, Haku tilted his head forward to try and peer into Naruto's face, his own expression contorted into one of guilt. He opened his small mouth, poised to say something, when a low, masculine voice startled them both from their veil of gloom.

"Oi."

Naruto slowly glanced up to find a pair of deep black eyes staring down at him from just a few feet away. It seemed Sasuke had finished his own class and come to pick him up.

Haku shrank back submissively as Naruto's partner made his presence known. For his part, the taller boy glanced disinterestedly at the slender boy for barely a moment before directing his intense gaze back to the blonde, effectively dismissing him from the conversation.

Taking the cue, Haku subtly bumped Naruto with his shoulder in a friendly gesture of encouragement as he wandered over to where the other remaining students stood making small-talk, looking about expectantly as they most likely waited for their own partners.

"Sasuke..." Naruto looked up at the dark haired boy somewhat fearfully from under his lashes, before quickly dropping his gaze down to his feet again, "U-uun.."

With the his partner's abrupt reappearance, he felt the lump in his throat threaten to form into a sob as warm tears brimmed at his eyes and he felt his face getting warm.

Naruto felt truly awful inside. Conflicting emotions chased each other round and round in the pit of his stomach – Guilt at having unknowingly drug someone else into his prolems; Mortification, as some irrational pride at turns floundered and bristled inside him, refusing to let him show his tears to his arrogant partner; And finally, genuine fear of what was going to happen next.

He didn't know what to do.

And then, all of a sudden he felt a firm touch on his face as the other boy abruptly grabbed his chin up between a strong thumb and forefinger. Sasuke glared into his eyes for a moment, something unfathomable blazing behind cold black pupils. He stared into the blonde's deep blue eyes sharply for a moment before dropping his hand away and turning his back on his increasingly emotional partner.

Naruto wasn't sure, but he thought he had felt the other boy trying to communicate something with his stare, as if he could physically pour his thoughts into his partner's mind through his piercing black gaze. For a brief instant the young Drone felt as if he had just barely glimpsed something that somewhat resembled his own feelings in the raven haired boy's eyes, if that were even possible. It at once confused and sent a kind of electrical shock through the blonde, which seemed to start at his toes and race all the way up his back to his shoulders. Before he knew it Naruto found himself clumsily reaching out his hand to hesitantly grab hold of the hem of his partner's shirt from behind. The fabric was a bit coarser than the robe he wore, reminding him a bit of the clothes he had worn back in the Agricultural Sector.

Seemingly startled, Sasuke glanced back at him sharply over his shoulder before turning away again and hastily grabbing up the offending hand in his own, sucking his teeth.

"_Tch._ Crybaby." he mumbled in irritation, "Come on. Our quarters are ready."

And with that he led Naruto by the hand, away from his classmates and off down the hallway toward their new home.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

Fuwaaaaa~ For some reason that last scene gave me kind of a warm, spring-timey feeling as I was writing it. Sorry for the long wait this time – Been having some health concerns lately, and honestly wasn't really in the mood to update for a few days. Hopefully it'll be resolved soon, and in the meantime I'll do my best not to let it affect the timeliness of my chapter updates!

With that out of the way...

Tee-hee, tee-hee! Sasuke, you are so crappy at comforting others. It's so awkward. I love you so much.

I'm not sure if anybody will catch on to what was happening in the last scene there, since it was only briefly alluded to, but there will be more as we progress. Regardless, this marks the beginning of the real story! We'll be building speed from here on, so get ready! I'm probably even more eager to get to the good stuff than you are! (And I think you know what I mean...Fufufufufu~)

Brief thanks for the awesome reviews so far. I'd be writing even without 'em, but they're a really nice bonus! X'D Since people were kind enough to pose intelligent questions as well, I'll try and answer them as best I can.

**Charcoal Heart** - Okay, so this wasn't a question, but still! I am with you all the way on there not being enough true sci-fi here on ffnet. I'm trying to fill the gap, one fic at a time! I'm hoping to put out a dark sci-fi fic once I finish this and Clockwork, called "The Bargain". Maybe I'll post a teaser sometime soon. X3

**bridmatt** - How awesomely observant of you! When I said NOT m-preg, I meant it. Nobody will be having any babies during the course of this fic. This is about two people who fall in love in a setting where male pregnancy happens and is actually expected, not about the pregnancy itself. I think there are plenty of authors out there who can do m-preg better than I could, and frankly I'm not interested. As to whether or not Naruto _is_ in fact a Z...I haven't decided yet! It'll be a fun surprise for both of us. X'D Marking - what it entails and what its point is - will be elaborated as we go along, as will Sasuke's reasons for doing what he does - so hang in there! As for your last question...I believe it has been answered in this chapter. Yay! Worry not: My muse is working overtime on this fic! I just love having readers like you. Stay tuned!

**Kit** - Ooh, that's a great question! For the purposes of this fic, I will say that children with two Y chromosomes are not viable and terminate themselves in the womb. IRL though, I'd imagine they'd be hellified aggressive and prone to violence. O_O;; I actually remember finding a book at my school library once, called "The Possibilities of Male Pregnancy" waaay back in highschool, which discussed this. It was a really weird book, but an interesting read, so you might check it out. If I remember right it was this huge dark-blue book with neon green writing and a seahorse on the front. X'D

**Next Chapter:** More info on Carriers, their program and instructors, and what goes on on their end of the spectrum. Mostly a Sasuke-centric chapter, as we try to flesh him out more. And also.. more Orochimama! Kyahahahahaha!

As always, love to everyone who sees fit to leave a review! Comments! Questions! Suggestions!...all welcome! (if you can stand more long authors' notes ;;;) Muwah!

_-hachico_


	5. Chapter 5

****_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_****

* * *

><p><strong>Five.<strong>

Sasuke spit blood as the other Carrier backed away slightly. The other boy leered nastily as he changed his stance, re-balancing himself and readying for another attack. In response the raven haired boy slipped back into a powerful wide stance, taunting his opponent with his own cold black eyes.

The other boy didn't disappoint, coming right at him, but merely touched air as Sasuke easily rolled right over his back and then launched into a series of three consecutive reverse roundhouse kicks, managing to catch his adversary under the chin with the last one – aimed high - and significantly unbalance him. Pressing the advantage relentlessly, the young Uchiha moved in for a finishing combo starting with a low sweep. Unfortunately, the other boy wasn't quite as dazed as he had seemed, and managed to flip nimbly over the attack, Sasuke's leg passing by harmlessly in a rush of air. The dark haired youth was undeterred, and used the momentum of his own missed strike to somersault backwards to his feet and launch into another hard combo, ending in a lotus kick that the other boy barely managed to block. Knowing that he was steadily gaining the upper hand, the raven haired youth purposefully faltered on his landing, effectively baiting his opponent into a desperate attack that left him wide open. In a blur of navy blue and black the Uchiha took to his feet again and cross countered with a hard blow from his forearm, taking his enemy to the ground. Knowing that the fight was as good as over, Sasuke finally smirked triumphantly as he brought his right leg up high, finishing with an axe kick that resounded through his limbs as it connected solidly with his prone target in a sickening crunch, signalling the shattering of at least a few ribs.

The chamber erupted in cries of both triumph and outrage as the fight came to its brutal conclusion. The throng of sweaty male bodies that had ringed the two boys for the entire fight finally broke to allow a triumphant Uchiha to make his way through and off to his own room.

As he passed his ears were met with a few calls of congratulations, which he brushed off with little more than a nonchalant expulsion of air through his nose. For the most part though, the onlookers allowed him to pass in silence, merely averting their cautious glances from his lest they be next to wind up in the infirmary.

"Tch. Useless," Sasuke commented to himself spitefully regarding the varied reactions to his victory as he made his way back to his quarters. In the ranks of the Carriers infighting was not only common, but expected. However, he himself had generally avoided participating in the fights that provided nightly amusement to his fellows out of pure disinterest.

This evening however, had been an exception.

The boy he had been fighting was named Suou, and he had apparently been top seated in the ranking for the past two weeks, which accounted for the massive chip on his shoulder. Though to Sasuke the rankings meant little, as the most skilled of his group tended to spurn them anyhow.

Unfortunately for Suou though, he'd had the misfortune of challenging Sasuke to a match that evening, ending in his rather undignified defeat. And all over a pathetically trivial matter as well.

The young Uchiha snorted pitilessly as he entered the enclosed space of his own room, which was quite fortunately one of the few singles in the building. Making his way to the bathroom, Sasuke stripped down as he went and turned the shower up to full blast as soon as he reached the faucet, stepping under the steaming cascade with an irritated sigh as he thought back over the series of events that had led to the fight.

To begin with, he'd had absolutely no interest whatsoever in the young woman whom Suou had accused him of humiliating, and even less interest in the fact that she was apparently the Z that the other boy had planned on aiming for in the next marking ceremony. It was mere chance that he'd even had contact with her a few days prior, when she had wandered into one of their exercise grounds on the way to a class and asked him for help. Sasuke had seen immediately through her request as a poorly conceived ploy to find an excuse to approach him – she could have easily consulted her NAV if she were lost – and he had responded accordingly. Which meant coldly telling her just how idiotic it was for her to use an excuse like being lost to speak to him. He had been satisfied that she wouldn't bother him again any time soon when he watched her dart off with tears in her eyes. However, in the Program gossip spread like wildfire, and by the next evening it had become common knowledge that yet another Z had tried – and failed – to garner Uchiha Sasuke's favor before the next marking ceremony.

That evening at dinner, Suou had come right over to the table at the back of the Carriers' dining hall where Sasuke sat finishing his meal in solitude, and had made it very clear that he did not approve of the other boy's treatment of his self-proclaimed future partner. Sasuke had opted to brush him off at first, but thought better of it when he realized that now would be a convenient time to take care of another issue that had been plaguing him lately, as well as relieve some built up tension.

In retrospect, it probably hadn't been necessary for him to break the boy's ribs in order to put him in his place, but it had the added bonus of asserting the fact that he was not one to be trifled with, which meant that his other problem – granted a fairly harmless one, despite how annoying it was – would also now be a thing of the past. It had also felt admittedly good to let out some of his pent up frustrations.

Sasuke shook his head hard as if to clear it as again he found himself thinking about just what it was that was the _cause_ of said frustration.

The marking ceremony.

Currently the young Uchiha was coming up on his third marking ceremony and still had yet to find any Z who seemed suitable enough to take as a partner. He'd considered hard at least four or five of the more or less un-annoying ones, but the fact was that none of them piqued his interest. He knew he had a mission to complete, and he knew that his personal feelings should have little to nothing to do with accomplishing said mission, but somehow he just had not found it in himself to approach any one of them.

One major deterrent was that fact that even making eye contact with a Z, especially the females, seemed to be taken as an invitation to make an advance on him and prove just how idiotic said individual was, which had rapidly depleted his selection pool. He was down to only one female and three males who had yet to sacrifice their pride in favor of making idiots of themselves in front of him, and he did not have very high hopes for any of them. Especially when he was fairly sure that one of them already had someone else in mind anyway.

And really, when he was honest with himself, he knew that there was one other factor that was keeping him from making a decision.

_That_ dream had been plaguing him again lately, as it often did right around the time of the marking process. It was really insignificant to his circumstances – or at least, it _should_ have been insignificant. However, the closer he got to the actual ceremony, the more vivid and clear it became.

It was a familiar dream – more like an old memory. In it he was still a small child, and he had somehow gotten separated from his parents and brother. He was frightened, but not to the point that he couldn't reason. He needed to get his bearings, to find help. Tossing a glance overhead, he could see that the sky was abnormal. It was nighttime, but it still seemed bright somehow. The sky overhead was tinged an eerie red color, pregnant black clouds swirling above as if to herald some disaster.

As it was nothing around him seemed familiar like it should. Streets that he'd known since childhood were deserted, though it couldn't have been much later than dinner time. The air was tense with some unreleased emotion that his young mind couldn't yet identify. It wasn't an ordinary silence, but the kind that prefaced a plummet into chaos. Something bad was happening – that much he could sense instinctual.

Sasuke looked to his NAV, desperate for help. Unfortunately, Hayato had been unresponsive for some time now, as if he were suffering from some kind of jamming or interference - one of the main reasons he'd gotten separated in the first place. He decided to retrace his steps, turning at any corner that seemed vaguely familiar. But no his attempts seemed futile, only getting him more and more hopelessly lost.

At last he skidded to a halt, his small body shuddering with exertion and anxiety as he began to feel more and more hopeless. He was about ready to turn back and try another direction when he felt a blast of hot air rush down the back of his shirt. Almost at the same his senses were overwhelmed by a strong, noxious, sulfuric odor. An indescribable feeling overcame him at that moment, as if some primordial, archetypal fear had been awakened in his young mind. His mind screamed at him that his first instinct should have been flight, but instead he found himself succumbing to some impossible urge to turn around.

Slowly, he turned to face the source of the scent. But once he did, he regretted it.

An enormous maw, lined with glistening sharp fangs yawned wide before him, as another gush of air – a blast of steaming hot breath, buffeted him, causing his thin, late summer clothes to flutter around him. The creature scented the air around him briefly, before a horrifying growl rumbled forth from its powerful throat.

The aural shock was enough to snap him out of his stupor, but by that time the urge to flee, first instinct he _should_ have had, seemed to spur no response from his trembling limbs. It was as if the inside of his head had gone completely white. He couldn't reason any more, all he could think was 'run, _run, RUN!', _a powerless thought that flitted across the forefront of his consciousness and away into oblivion as swiftly and intangibly as it had come. Eyes going wide, Sasuke found himself suppressing his breathing, muscles tensing as he curled in slightly on himself as though to become as small as possible. Terror held him captive. There was a flash of fangs and burning red eyes, and then Sasuke saw no more. Unbidden his eyes snapped shut at the moment of impact.

And then there was sharp, almost human cry and the sound of the creature growling and snarling violently. Sasuke wanted to open his yes and look the moment he realized he was still alive, but instead he found his once useless legs suddenly coming to life once again. One step after another he backpedaled blindly, until he finally turned and launched into an all out sprint. It was only as he put more and more distance between himself and the nightmare at his back, that he briefly whipped his head back over his shoulder and glimpsed –

The young Uchiha banged his head against the glass of the shower door, slowly putting both palms up to rest against the foggy surface as he pressed his forehead to it, eyes closed.

This was asinine. He was less than twelve hours away from another marking ceremony and he was thinking about that stupid dream _again_, though it had absolutely no bearing on what he was facing at present. Though it chagrinned him, the Carrier briefly entertained the thought that perhaps he was having the dream now because it was the only other time he could remember being afraid of something.

Mentally, he bit his tongue at that thought.

Fear? _Seriously? _

Sasuke gave a self-effacing snort of laughter. The idea that he was afraid of taking a partner caused him no end of irritation with himself.

And yet, he couldn't completely refute it. His family, his entire _clan_, was depending on him to get this done. The Uchiha line could quite possibly dwindle to an end if he didn't get his act together and choose a mate. He would not, _could not_ fail.

And that, he realized somewhere deep down, was perhaps the root of the problem.

Angrily shutting off the water, Sasuke finally stepped out and reached for a towel to begin drying himself. As he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he saw an angular face with smooth aquiline features and deeply toned yet fluid bodyline that displayed the strong physical traits of his clan reflected right back at him. And as he looked on, for an instant his own jet black eyes and hair – trademarks of the Uchiha line – seemed to be taunting him.

* * *

><p>As he and the other Carriers were finally ushered into hall number five, Sasuke quickly surveyed the large room for signs of the three prospective partners he had in mind. He quikly identified two of them, but the third one appeared t obe sticking to the back of the crowd of nervous Z, substantiating the dark haired boy's theory that he had someone in mind already and would be avoiding contact with unwanted suitors.<p>

Throwing a glance at the other boys assembled around him, Sasuke briefly locked glances with Suou. The other boy quickly averted his gaze and went back to looking for his intended partner. The other Carriers also seemed to be eyeing the pack of potential mates anxiously, but none of them dared break the ranking order to begin mingling just yet.

For his part, Sasuke considered approaching one of his few remaining prospects, but as soon as his eyes met with the female, he was reciprocated with an anxiously heated gaze, which gave him a strong sense of foreboding that she would turn out to be much like the others he had already eliminated from his list. Disgusted, he unintentionally glared daggers at her, and stormed off toward his usual corner, effectively forfeigting his privilege. Without any hesitation, the other Carriers began to move, each beginning to sift his way through the anxious young men and women on the opposite side of the room. Snorting in derision, Sasuke decided that he would observe the movements of his other two prospects as the two groups began to mingle. A lot could be told about a Z's general demeanor from the way they interacted with their peers and other Carriers. Besides, having secured his rank, he wasn't particularly worried about any rivals.

With this on his mind, Sasuke barely noticed the second party occupying his preferred corner of the room until he was almost on top of him.

To be fair thought, the other individual seemed to be rather engrossed in the goings on at the center of the room, to the point that he hadn't noticed Sasuke either.

The young Uchiha took in the intruder's appearance with a quirked eyebrow. He was almost as tall as Sasuke, and had a rather sturdy build. His skin was also a warm honey-tan color, which was very uncommon among Z. Usually the weaklings tended to stay indoors and out of the sun, preferring to stick to their studies indoors, though physical activity wasn't particularly discouraged, resulting in somewhat pallid complexions. He also noted the boy's wide, bright blue eyes, and shining golden hair, which were another rarity. These points solidified Sasuke's suspicion that he hadn't seen the boy around before, though he was clearly wearing the white robes that indicated Z status.

Before he could put together another thought, however, the raven haired boy found himself opening his mouth to address the other boy.

"Oi, you there." At his abrupt words the other boy turned and stared at him, eyes growing even wider, if that was possible.

"You're new aren't you. What are you doing over here?" he demanded, unable to mask the irritation in his voice at the boy's surprised look. This was _his_ corner. What the hell was this guy looking so shocked about? Idiot.

"Eh? Ah!...I..."

The blonde's inane repsonse further supported the fact that he was a complete imbecile. He could hardly put a sentence together.

Yet and still, he _was_ a Z. What reason did he have to look so damn guilty? It seemed as if they were all practically infallible in the eyes of the Hive, what with the way they were coddled and praised all the time.

Still, he supposed everyone had their circumstances. Somehow he found himself cutting the other boy some slack, though he doubted he deserved it.

"A male, huh?" he said, giving the boy a quick once-over. He was definitely different from the others, in more ways than one. And if he was new, that meant he had _just_ arrived, as the rumor mill hadn't yet had a chance to get warmed up. Probably a latent from one of the working sectors. Rare, but not particularly interesting. "Well? What are you doing over here?"

"I...uh...nothing..." the newcomer replied lamely. He seemed to be really nervous, but Sasuke sensed that for once it had nothing to do with trying to impress him. He found himself smirking despite himself.

"Hn."

And suddenly, he found hiself unbelievably flashing back to the _dream_ again, out of nowhere. He must have blanked out for a few moments, because the next thing he knew, the blonde Z was glaring at him defensively.

"What?" the other boy demanded suspiciously, "Are you gonna stand here and stare at me all day?"

As he snapped back to reality comepletely with the boy's sharp words, he found himself struck with a strange notion and again sharpened his gaze on the young Z in front of him. Unbidden, Sasuke found his feet carrying him in a slow circle around the boy as he eyed him up and down, not even sure himself just what it was he was looking for. He raked his eyes over the boy's form several times as he paced, looking for...for _something_ that he couldn't quite understand himself, as the blonde followed his movements defensively, almost step for step.

Finally Sasuke slowed to a halt, causing the other boy to stop abruptly as well, a startled look coloring his features.

Yes.

That was the only word that popped into Sasuke's head as he came to a halt.

He wasn't sure what he was saying yes to, or why, but something compelled him to find out more about the odd blonde who had suddenly shown up at his preferred observational post.

"What's your name?" his mouth seemed to form the words on its own. His name? And what the hell did he intend to do with that? Sasuke wondered of himself. Somehow or another, his body was acting on its own, telling him things he didn't quite understand. He just sensed somehow that if he kept following along, he'd end up at some important conclusion very soon.

So he did just that.

"Naruto..." came the soft, bewildered answer. The other boy's blue eyes flashed with some familiar emotion.

Intrigue.

'_Naruto'_ he echoed mentally, imaginig what the name would taste like on his tongue.

"You'll do."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, after orientation to his new class ended, Sasuke was unexpectedly summoned by his instructor to stay behind. His teacher was a rather irritating sort of man, who apparently had a penchant for tardiness and saying and doing things that the young Uchiha was almost positive were meant to purposefully annoy his students more than anything else.<p>

"Instructor Hatake," the young Uchiha acknowledged civilly with an incline of his head.

"Just Kakashi's fine," the man insisted, waving a hand dismissively, "So, congratulations: You've finally taken a partner. Your previous instructor expressed some concerns that you'd been through two ceremonies without any signs of interest. Seems like his concerns were unnecessary though.

So. Who's the lucky Z?"

Sasuke cringed at the mention of his old instructor. He had picked up on the young Uchiha's taciturn nature and brooding demeanor on the very first day of class and had from then on made it his _mission_ to harrass the young Carrier with his overbearing enthusiasm for the rest of the school year.

"It's a male. Uzumaki Naruto," the boy replied as evenly as he could, managing to mask his annoyance for the time being.

"I see," the professor said thoughtfully, "The new latent. Have you gotten a chance to speak with him much yet?"

At this question Sasuke remained silent, but he was sure that he was making a face, as Kakashi's eye – the one not covered by a shock of silver hair – looked to sharpen a bit, perhaps in concern. He couldn't be sure, as the lower half of the man's face was perpetually covered with an obscuring black mask.

The instructor "hmm"ed softly to himself before moving on to his reasons for calling Sasuk back after class.

"The truth is, I had you stay back because I had a feeling you might need a little extra help in that area," the man admitted, causing the young Uchiha's eyes to narrow slightly in surprise and mild indignation. The idea that he needed _help_ with _anything_ always made him bristile with anger and raw nerves.

"You see, instructor Maito had mentioned you having some issues with intimacy training in his class," the silver haired teacher clarified, catching on to Sasuke's critical look, "When he recommended you to my class, he had a lot of praise for you,but specifically asked me if I would keep an eye on you. Specifically, to make sure things go over smoothly with your new partner in the area of intimacy."

Sasuke couldn't help it any longer: he actually grimaced at the mention of his old professor consulting Kakashi about him.

What was even more irritating than knowing that the man was keeping tabs on him, however, was the idea that he had a personal interest in making sure that Sasuke was able to achieve intimacy with his chosen partner. It was disturbing on a number of levels, but as a Carrier he knew better than to be phased by a percieved invasion of privacy. Being what they were, Carriers and Z alike were entitled to no such thing in the eyes of the Program.

"What would you have me do?" Sasuke inquired flatly, preferring to get straight to the point before he could think too much about the subject matter.

Kakashi took a deep breath and seemed lost in thought for a moment as he considered Sasuke's words. At length he replied,

"Well, for now let's just see how things go. If necessary though, I'm thinking of setting you up with a tutor."

"Understood," the Uchiha replied curtly, already itching to be out of his teacher's sight. He was far from enthused about the prospect of a tutor, however inevitable it seemed that he be set up with one, "Anything else?"

"Well, since you asked, I think it would be a good idea for you to go meet up with your partner after this – escort him to your new quarters," Kakashi suggested, single eye crinkling sligtly as he presumably grinned underneath his mask," He's new and all...He might need some help getting around, don't you think?"

When he got only a quick, sharp glare in response the instructor gave a small sigh, as though gathering his thoughts, before trying again.

"Listen, Sasuke," he tried again, this time with a different quality to his voice. His inflection carried an unexpected hint of steel that called Sasuke's deep gaze back to him inadvertently, "I've heard from instructor Maito that you work best when you have a clear objective, so let me put it in a way tha should be easier for you understand: You have a mission."

At that the young Uchiha perked up slightly, which he realized right away was probably exactly what the teacher had planned. Kakashi would know that as a Carrier he had been preconditioned to respond to the term "mission" with his full attention.

"As you already know, your objective is to achieve intimacy with your partner so that the both of you can fulfill your duties as members of the Program," the man continued, taking in Sasuke's now attentive expression, "Unfortunately for you, the fact that your partner is new to the program will mean that he'll be inexperienced and probably uneasy as well. This is going to make your mission something of a challenge."

The slow but firm nod that he got in response was less than encouraging, but it showed that the Uchiha was at least willing to take into consideration what he had to say.

"So, you're going to need to put in some extra effort," the instructor concluded, "Intimacy isn't just about the act, Sasuke. What it's really about is deepening the bond between your partner and yourself. Start by talking to him. Try and help him adjust. I'm not telling you not to be yourself – you have to do it your own way. Just try and think about a time when you've felt uneasy about your situation and what it was like. Put yourself in his shoes, and it'll make it that much easier to get close to him."

Sasuke's expression unexpectedly took on a look of slight perplexity, showing that he was at least beginning to process what it was that his instructor was trying to convey. However, a moment later the boy simply nodded his assent and turned on his heel, not waiting for another word.

It was disrespectful to leave without being formally dismissed, but he'd clearly had more than enough of his new instructor for one day already. For his part, Kakashi seemed surprisingly unperturbed by the show of insubordination.

"Good luck," were his only words as he watched after his pupil's retreating figure.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

T^T;; I have very mixed feelings about this chapter. Originally I had a lot of trouble writing it, and actually completely erased it and started over a couple times, because couldn't seem to get Sasuke's inner process just right. Also, it got to be very long because I started to go into what happened after Sasuke fetched Naruto to take him home. But then I realized I was getting waaay over my word limit (author's note notwithstanding), which I decided on in the first place to help me keep the pace in getting out chapters faster! As a result this chapter actually has a bunch of deleted scenes that I shall try to incorporate in later chapters if I can get them to fit.

On the up-side, I feel like I finally conveyed my Sasuke the way I want him portrayed in this universe. Obviously there are some things about him that are different from the canon. He's been placed in a completely different set of circumstances here, and you'll see soon that his home life is a far cry from the Sasuke that we know and love. I look forward to getting into his back story further. He's going to do a lot of growing in this story. ('v')/

Quick thanks to everyone who was kind enough to leave their thoughts on the last chapter. Your responses actually help me to decide where to go next with the story a little bit too! I'll continue to try to pace it based on what you still have questions about. Thanx!vvv

Bishie Huntress - You're so kind. ^-^ It looks like I'm probably going to need my tonsils out sometime soon due to chronic issues, but it's nothing too serious. I'm actually kind of looking forward to some down time so I can work on my fics uninhibited. XD I do hope that your family is feeling better. As for the end of last chapter, this installment should shed some light on it. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me a heads up on typos and such. I try to catch what I can before and even after posting, but I just can't seem to get them all. When I have more time I'll go back and brush things up, because that kind of stuff really bothers me - it can really bring down the quality of a reading experience.

Crazy Barks - Excellent observation. Naruto does indeed think it's unusual to have a NAV with a name and persona of its own. I'd meant to get into that and the marking process this chapter too, but I ran up my word count too fast. T^T;; Poo-poo on me. I promise to make it up to you!

GaaraHinataWake - Thank you ever so much for your comment! Hopefully your questions about the ending of last chapter will be allayed by this look into Sasuke's perspective.

Next Chapter: We'll definitely get into Sasuke and Naruto's homelife, because I'm itching for some nice lengthy interaction between my main characters. I'm hoping to toss in a surprise or two. The rest...is partially up to you guys! I'll try and see what else I can include based on whatever people seem to have more questions about. ('w')/

Hopefully I can have another chapter or two out before the weekend is over. Five day weekend, woohoo!

-hachibachi


	6. Chapter 6

**Six.**

Naruto stared down at the place where he and his new partner were connected. After a few moments, he had expected for Sasuke to drop his hand, but instead, the young Carrier's grip remained firm around his left wrist, pulling him along until he finally fell into step beside the other boy. Somehow he couldn't help but notice how surprisingly warm the boy's pale skin was against his own, a veritable betrayal to his cool demeanor.

Somewhat encouraged by the fact that the other boy hadn't spurned him away yet, Naruto ventured to peer surreptitiously at Sasuke's face as they walked. Though he was far from an expert on aesthetics, Naruto found himself making the realization that his partner was not bad to look at. In fact, he would go so far as to say that most people would probably find Sasuke...attractive? Was that the right word? It felt right.

Naruto wasn't very used to noticing others' appearances, as it had little to do with his daily tasks. However, he could remember distinctly thinking that Gaara was nice to look at as well. He wasn't quite sure when he had started to think that way about his friend, but he supposed it was around the same time that he had begun to recognize that he considered Gaara just that: a friend. It was strange how a simple label, mere semantics, could change one's perception of another person.

Now he had another friend, Haku, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he found Haku very nice to look at as well. In fact, he distinctly remembered feeling that Haku was pretty – beautiful even – more attractive than all of the girls among their fellow Z. But that was even before he had decided that he and the other male Z were friends. Did that mean that the way he was perceiving people around him had changed as well? He wanted badly to consult KYUUBI, but now was not an appropriate time to talk to his Nav. He felt that to break the odd little silence that had settled over he and his partner as they walked would be to sever whatever link they shared at the moment, however small it might be.

Lost in thought as he was, it took Naruto a few moments to realize that Sasuke's eyes had slid over to him, as well. The other boy held his gaze for only a fraction of a heartbeat before harshly averting his gaze. Naruto's eyes widened for what felt like the hundredth time that day, as his breath caught for the briefest of moments. Now he was positive that something was up with the other boy. But still, he didn't yet dare to question it aloud. Instead he turned his gaze forward, curious as to where the Carrier was leading him.

What he was met with was an end to the long corridor they had been proceeding along up until now. Apparently they were leaving the building – Sasuke had said something about their new quarters, now that he thought about it. As he realized that this meant they would be sharing quarters, Naruto felt a rush of uncertainty fill him.

A part of him was glad to know he'd be sharing his room with _someone_, whoever it might be. The room that he had woken up in that morning had been so lonely without the presence of Gaara and his other bunk-mates. He had realized at once that being alone – not feeling like he was a part of something greater – gave him a strong feeling of unease. The revelation was disconcerting to say the least. Now he was supposedly a Z, but even among this new group he felt alien. He had never felt so alone before.

Sasuke led him through a large pair of glass double doors and out into a spacious octagonal courtyard, at the opposite edge of which several tall white structures sprouted up proudly to tower several stories overhead. They were nothing like the humbly squat, single level quarters that he and the other Drones in his stratum had called home. These buildings weren't exactly uninviting, but their sprawling height made them seem...intimidating. The feeling he got from them was much akin to the one he got when looking at his partner: graceful and proud to the point of being alienating.

As Sasuke steered him pointedly across the courtyard and toward the looming high-rises at the other end, Naruto noticed that unlike himself, the other boy didn't even spare a glance to the way that bright, blessedly natural sunlight filtered down around them through shade trees, which were scattered across the yard liberally, as if to enfold the entire space in a protective embrace. The other boy seemed so single-minded and methodical at times – almost chillingly so. It stirred some feeling in Naruto that was hard to identify – one that inexplicably softened his own gaze into something of a pained expression as he watched the youth.

Yes Naruto was, in a way, thankful that he would not be forced to live alone. But, by the same token, would living with the cool young Carrier be much better than being alone?

Abruptly the blonde felt his partner's grip, almost forgotten in his reverie, tighten around his wrist, as if in response to the nervous tensing of Naruto's own muscles. A brief glance at Sasuke's face showed that the other boy's expression hadn't changed – it looked as though he hadn't even registered what his own body was doing.

His eyes suddenly began a slow travel up as he and Sasuke eventually came to a stop before a building identical in structure to the others around it. Looking up and up, Naruto's head spun a little bit. He couldn't even see up to the top floor from their current standpoint.

"This is us," came the low voice at his side. With that single statement, the Carrier's voice seemed to carry a tone of finality, as though to seal the fate of the uneasy young Drone at his side.

* * *

><p>The young Carrier watched dispassionately as his partner poked about their new lodgings inquisitively. Currently, the blonde was bouncing on the bed experimentally, apparently pleased by the soft, springy mattress. Sparing a glance around the apartment, Sasuke's brow wrinkled slightly, somewhat perturbed by the other boy's strange reaction to their surroundings. Their new home was little different from what he was used to – it had an adequately sized bedroom with a single, wide platform bed, which connected directly to the spacious bathroom, as well as a fully stocked kitchen and a small dining area. If there was anything different from his old single that he had noticed, it would have to be the fact that, rather than a simple shower, their new bathroom housed a full bath as well – one wide enough to accommodate two.<p>

Sasuke frowned at that – he had no intentions of bathing with the other boy, partner or not.

Unbidden, he suddenly heard his instructor's words echoed back at him.

_'You're going to have to put in some extra effort...Put yourself in his shoes.'_

Another glance ito his partner showed that the blonde boy was now nosing around the kitchen like an idiot.

Sasuke clenched his teeth together.

Extra effort, his _ass_. This was ridiculous.

Glaring determinedly, the dark dark-haired boy stalked directly over to where the other boy stood examining the contents of the refrigerator and whirled him around. Not surprisingly, the blonde met him with a look of bewilderment, and probably would have protested if Sasuke hadn't immediately captured his mouth with his own. As expected, he fought a bit at the beginning, but didn't pull away, allowing the Carrier to slowly explore the inside of his mouth.

Mentally, Sasuke smirked. He might not excel at intimacy, but he had no problems with seduction. Feeling confident, he allowed himself to put his hands into play. One snaked around to support the back of the other boy's head, while the other fondled his backside purposefully.

After just a short while of said treatment, the young Z was already panting softly, though the Carrier had barely touched him intimately yet at all – a good sign. Narrowing his gaze in concentration, Sasuke altered his angle and dove in again, sucking aggressively at the juncture of the boy's neck and shoulder.

The blonde responded right away, breath hitching as he clutched weakly at the front of his partner's shirt.

"A-ah!...Mn!"

Heady breaths lilted past the dark dark-haired boy's ears as Naruto fidgeted confusedly against him. Kakashi had been right – his partner was woefully inexperienced.

'_Whatever. I'm the one who'll be doing most of the work here, anyway_,' the young Uchiha sneered mentally, '_He _is_ a Z, after all. Pathetic._'

"Nn...S-Sas-...wh-..."

In no mood to listen to the boy's blubbering, lest it ruin his concentration, Sasuke caught his mouth up in a biting kiss, effectively silencing him for the moment. The blonde raised an addled blue gaze to meet his own. Unperturbed by his partner's confusion, he nudged a knee between the boy's legs, rubbing harshly against his soft inner thigh.

Surprisingly, his partner seemed to be hypersensitive to his touch. A quick glance down confirmed that the other boy was already at half mast, and when Sasuke pressed their chests together, he could feel the other's nipples assert themselves shamelessly as they hardened against him – another good sign.

Gaze sharpening, he relented for a moment, allowing his partner a deep, shaky breath before he dove in again, this time combing the inside of the other's mouth with his tongue relentlessly. As he stroked the young Z's palate generously with his own slick muscle, he finally felt limbs that had been tensed against him begin to fall slack as the blonde at last began to submit.

Immediately, Sasuke felt himself respond positively, his own heat growing more tangible, as his need asserted itself between his legs. He was ready, his partner appeared ready...Sasuke decided it was time to take it to the next stage.

In one fluid motion, he easily forced the other boy up onto the kitchen counter, pressing forward aggressively so that his partner would feel his hard heat between them.

"A-ah!"

Sasuke allowed himself a small smirk as the blonde gasped into his mouth, startled. Encouraged, the dark haired boy pressed his hand into the other boy's front, shoving him back until his head bumped against a cupboard with an soft thump, effectively leaving a trembling chest and midsection open to him. As he slid his palm suggestively against the other boy's building erection, the Z bucked against him a little. The young Uchiha was surprised to find himself growling into the boy's mouth, as he dug his short nails into the warm flesh of the blonde's hip, restraining the increasingly frantic youth. His own breaths were coming short and fast now too, as his pulse quickened. It felt like his heart was racing out of control.

His partner was trembling against him now, and the Carrier could feel his stubby nails struggling for hold in his shirt.

Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly. Logically, it made sense that the other boy would be scared, but something seemed...off. Deciding he'd better press the advantage before the fool started having second thoughts, the Carrier pushed a nimble hand up under his counterpart's robes, only hesitating slightly as his palm hovered directly over the other's throbbing heat.

And suddenly, inexplicably, scenes from _that_ dream flashed through his mind, as if to distract him from his mission.

_Feral eyes glittering __in the darkness. Glistening fangs yawning__ open as if to snatch him up and swallow him whole._

_A flash of light, and then an almost human cry._

_And there behind him –_

Determined to see things through to the end, the Uchiha forcibly shoved the unbidden images from his head, teeth clacking together in anger. As if to stamp out the unwanted thoughts, he impulsively curled his fingers around the other boy's throbbing erection, perhaps a bit harder than he'd meant to.

There was a sharp cry from beneath him, and suddenly Sasuke found his head being whipped to the side as something hard smashed into the side of his face.

* * *

><p>Naruto trembled violently, eyes swimming. His fist fell to his side, clenching and unclenching as he struggled to get his breathing under control. He gasped over and over again – panic's icy hold seemed to clutch at his lungs, robbing him of air.<p>

He had never hurt another person before.

When he was a Drone there had been no reason for conflict. The bounds of his emotions and his circumstances had been so clear and concise. He had never even heard of anyone being injured outside of work related incidents in the fields – violence against one's fellows was absolutely unthinkable.

As the dark haired boy looked down at his split lip, Naruto realized that, in his terror, he had struck the Carrier with his full strength. For his part, Sasuke seemed rather unresponsive for someone who had just been knocked off his feet.

"I-...Ah-...Hhhhh-!," the The blonde struggled to speak, but could only form incoherent sounds as he scrambled backward until he bumped his head against the kitchen cupboard again, startling himself with the impact.

The young Carrier raised black eyes to meet his own blue ones, his expression oddly blank – possibly with shock. His pale, fingers, deceptively long and slender, slowly rose to smear the blood away from his mouth. As if just realizing that he was actually bleeding, Sasuke flicked the offending liquid away emotionlessly, slowly rising to his feet again after having been knocked to the floor with the force of Naruto's blow.

Out of instinct Naruto immediately reached out to help him up, but quickly snatched his hand back, eyes darting about frantically until they settled on the bedroom door. His thoughts a mere blur in his head, the boy finally fled: first to the bedroom, and then into the spacious bathroom, where he slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

After that, things settled down rather quickly. Naruto did not open the bathroom door, and Sasuke did not come after him. Instead, the blond climbed into the bathtub and hugged himself close, shuddering. He had no idea what his dark haired counterpart was up to, because the only thing he could hear was the dominating sound of his heart pounding erratically. He could feel his pulse throughout his entire body, as though he were one big beating muscle himself.

Naruto felt sick. His vision seemed to whiten around the edges as a strange tone filled his ears. Eventually, he succumbed to the urge and rushed to the toilet, emptying the contents of his stomach helplessly into the bowl.

He stayed like that for a few moments, crouched over the commode, as a pounding pressure headache assaulted him. After what seemed like forever, the blonde finally dragged himself back to the tub, thoroughly exhausted and still too afraid to face his partner. Though Sasuke hadn't seemed to be hurt too badly, he couldn't stop from shaking.

And then it was like the whole experience came rushing over him again. Sasuke's breath on his neck, and against his mouth, and his hands – everywhere the other boy had touched seemed to burn as if enflamed. Even his face was hot.

A quiet sob finally squeezed free of the Drone's raw throat. Although nearly inaudible, it sounded too loud after the choking silence that had cloaked the room for the past several minutes. He tried to keep it at that, but the tears were already falling from his eyes in big droplets. It was humiliating.

He would have stayed that way, perhaps indefinitely, but an unexpected softness broke him from his sorrow momentarily.

"KYUUBI...?"

Indeed, the NAV had materialized, surprisingly without any of his usual clever comments. Instead, it wrapped its vulpine form around its master, wordlessly to tucking its head against the boy's neck in an almost protective gesture. Taken off guard, but grateful nonetheless for the attempt at comfort, Naruto snuggled close.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but for the first time, it was as though he could really feel the fox's warm pelt against his skin. As his sobs slowly calmed, the blonde Drone lay his head against the end of the tub opposite the faucet. After a while his tears ended, but it was long after he was welcomed into the gentle arms of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>

Another chapter...Finished! XD Bet you didn't see that coming.

Chapter Six took a little while longer to get out, for which I apologize. However, it is with good reason. Because I've gotten myself a lovely, shiny new beta!

Special thanks to the wonderful, gracious BishieHuntress! *hugs* While you enjoy a nice, typo-free new chapter, know that I couldn't have done it without her. :-D

Soooo, kind of a short chapter here. I'm feeling ambivalent about the chapter lengths, because they mean I can't always make as much progress as I wish in each chapter without fear of them running over. There was so much I wanted to do here, but I felt that I was at a good stopping point.

**Questions answered:**

Melikalilly - Itachi will definitely make an appearance, but it's a little ways off - at least a few chapters. :-)

bridmatt - Excellent observations, all! To be honest, my Sasuke is an asshole. Not by his own fault though - more because of the circumstances. He'll be doing a lot of growing in this story! Can't volunteer any info about what Naruto will do however, as he's going through a lot. Even if he wants to tell Sasuke the truth, he might never get a chance if this keeps up. -_-;;;

TeaAndCrumpetsIfYouPlease - Absolutely! We'll get plenty of both sides' POV throughout now that the storyline is picking up.

Next chapter will start with a nice informative meeting with Haku, as well as a meeting with another familiar face (hopefully). I'm also dying to focus more on the NAVs' roles, especially KYUUBI's shady behavior and some hints as to what he and Naruto are becoming.

Until then!

-hachico


	7. Chapter 7

**_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Seven.<strong>

It was what felt like several hours later that Naruto awakened. Disconcerted and feeling stiff, the blonde boy laid in place for many moments, trying to orient himself as he combed his memory to try and figure out why he was waking up anywhere but his cozy little bed in D Sector, and why the sounds of his fellow Drones slowly awakening and beginning their morning routines was so curiously absent all around him.

The disorientation was soon cleared away to be replaced with anxiety as memories of the events of the past two days suddenly came rushing back - the ones from his disastrous encounter with his partner surfacing particularly vividly among them. He was at once regretful and confused. Confused about how he should have handled the situation, and regretful of the action that he had taken instinctively. Naruto was also left, however, with the distinct feeling that his hurting Sasuke had been more than just a terrible accident. Before "the change", he would have never reacted with violence first. To do so went completely against everything that he knew. It felt a little bit cowardly to be blaming his loss of control on KYUUBI's recent behavior, but it really did seem like the only logical reaction for this...strangeness...that he had been feeling lately, especially around Sasuke.

Speaking of which, now would probably be a good time to run a few of the questions that had been nagging him lately by his Nav for clarification. He felt like the fox-formed program was still holding much of the truth back from him for reasons unknown.

Straightening the kinks out of his neck slowly, the blonde finally sat up in the bathtub, only to find that his guide was, once again, nowhere to be found.

Naruto sighed. This was beginning to turn into somewhat of a trend with his navigational program, a fact which was in itself suspicious. The young Drone had never before heard of a Nav that ignored it master's orders and half of the time failed to come upon command. Indeed, his guide seemed to be one of a kind.

In any case, he supposed that KYUUBI had done it's good deed for the week by coming to comfort him in his time of need last night. He wasn't sure how much time had passed exactly as there was no clock in the bathroom and his Nav was nowhere to be found. However, after sleeping for such a long stretch of time, Naruto felt like he was awakening to a new day full of possibilities. It was amazing what a good night's sleep - albeit in a rigid bathtub- ncould do for his mood.

A small expression halfway between a frown and a pout colored Naruto's features as he thought of what little quip KYUUBI would have graced him with if it had been there at that moment. Probably something rude about how his moods were very much subject to whether they had properly eaten and slept.

If there was one thing that Naruto could do without, it was the way that KYUUBI really seemed to know how to irk its master now that it had begun to display a sense of self.

_Nnrrggg_...

The boy's pout turned into a grimace as his stomach alerted him to its needs. He remembered suddenly that he hadn't had a chance to eat dinner after what had happened in the kitchen last night. Uncertainty filled the blonde as he considered the prospect of leaving the bathroom and having to face his partner. In addition to there being no clock inside the bathroom, there were no windows either, rendering him essentially unable to tell what time of day it might be. Though it felt as though he had slept forever, in reality Naruto had no idea if it were a new day, or if he had awakened in the middle of the night. If he left the bathroom now he might very well run right into Sasuke, and he dreaded the looming awkwardness that there would be between them after that disastrous incident.

Unfortunately for his pride, his stomach made a compelling case as to why he should stop being such a coward and just face things – the situation certainly wouldn't improve the longer he spent mulling over it.

And besides, he did feel a little guilty for having chosen the apartment's only bathroom for his retreat. If Sasuke wanted to relieve himself, he would have no choice but to go all the way over to the main building – to say nothing of the fact that he didn't have access to the shower or bathroom sink.

With these thoughts in mind, Naruto finally stood up from the tub and headed for the door, steeling his resolve with a deep breath, before finally unlocking the portal and letting it slide softly open. He was ready for the worst, but actually met with something quite unexpected the moment he peered out into their bedroom.

Not only did the room seem to be completely empty, but a very welcome smell wafted to his nostrils the moment he opened the door. Blinking into the soft morning sunlight that filtered in through the raised curtains at the far end of the bed, the young Drone swiveled his head around slowly in search of the source of the heavenly smell.

Finally his eyes landed on the ground, just a few centimeters away from the bathroom door.

There sat, unbelievably, a big tray, furnished with a plate full of eggs, bacon and – of all things – _waffles_.

No, not _just_ waffles, Naruto corrected himself - big, golden, _fluffy_ waffles, topped with butter, and with delicious syrup oozing all over them. He blinked a few times, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or something, because there was no way that he was seeing right.

Nevertheless, after several seconds of staring at the tray in bewilderment, it was still there – with a napkin, fork and knife tucked neatly to one side and a nice big glass of orange juice on the other, even. Eyes darting about suspiciously for a moment, Naruto finally decided that, yes, Sasuke's presence was thoroughly absent from the apartment, and no, it was not a trap of some kind. Which meant that it must be some manner of peace offering – an inexplicably decent gesture completely beyond what he had thought his new partner capable of. Disregarding the fact that the placement was very similar to how one would present food to a pet or wild animal of some sort, it was really...well..._nice_.

Still slightly disbelieving, Naruto let his instincts take over, as he sniffed at the offering and licked his lips appreciatively before tucking in. As the blonde munched away gratefully at the offering, he did not fail to take notice of the fact that the food was still mostly hot when he started eating, which meant that Sasuke couldn't have been gone long.

He had been informed at the end of class the day before that they would be afforded a two day break from classes in order to acquaint themselves with their new partners, which meant that the dark haired boy was not in class. Absently, he wondered where the young Carrier could have gone.

After decimating the thoughtfully made meal and carefully cleaning up afterward, Naruto found himself alone in his new living quarters, a feeling that left him distinctly uneasy. It wasn't that there was anything inadequate about their living space – if anything it was better equipped and bounds more comfortable than what he was used to.

The problem was the quietness. Though a part of him was relieved not to have to face his partner just yet, with Sasuke gone the place felt deserted and barely lived-in - which, he supposed, was true.

"KYUUUBI~!" the blonde finally called out aloud, willing with all his might for his Nav to materialize. Most surprisingly, it worked.

[Please, master, there is no reason to summon me so loudly,] the fox admonished as it appeared right in front of him.

"Well I wouldn't have to yell if you'd stick around like you're supposed to," Naruto grumbled back, crossing his arms in front of himself, "Just where do you go all the time, anyway?"

[Be assured that everything I do is to your benefit, young master,] the Nav answered evasively, as it stretched itself lazily on the comfortable white love-seat that adorned the apartment's small living room.

Naruto cocked his head to the side at the gesture. Another strange thing about KYUUBI was how it often exhibited such realistic physical behaviors.

Interacting with one's surroundings was something that Navs did do upon occasion - an extra part of their programming that was designed to provide a sense of realism and tangibility that put their owners at ease. However, the fox Nav seemed far too comfortable for mere show as it nestled into the couch. Lately KYUUBI tended to display such behaviors more frequently than others, to the point that it was sometimes disconcerting. For a moment Naruto had to remind himself that he was talking to a holographic image of a fox and not the real thing.

"_Yeah, yeah...I should have known I'd never get a straight answer out of this guy."_

"Time," the young drone commanded finally, rolling his eyes.

[The current time is 11:27 am,] the Nav replied promptly. Although KYUUBI had been disinclined to answer many of his questions as of late, Naruto had noticed that direct commands did still seem to work most of the time – that was when his Nav was actually around to respond to them of course.

[Weather conditions are sunny, about 71 degrees Celsius,] the fox continued, [You also have one Comm awaiting confirmation.]

The blonde's ears perked at the last part of the Nav's statement.

"I have a _what_?" the blonde asked confusedly.

[You currently have one Comm from Yukimura Haku awaiting confirmation,] the Nav clarified.

Naruto's interest perked further upon the mention of the name "Haku". There was no doubt that KYUUBI was referring to his friend and fellow Z, but other than that he had no idea what the Nav was talking about.

"Query," the blonde commanded, "What is a 'Comm'?"

[Comm,] KYUUBI replied obediently, [Keyword, meaning 'communication'. A 'Comm' is a message sent from one individual to another. When a Comm is received, the recipient is required to either confirm or decline transmission. Comms may be sent directly from your personal contacts file, or through your Sector's Comm directory. Format is limited to text and video-voice. To bring up the Communications Menu, use the command 'Comms' or 'Communications'.]

Naruto blinked repeatedly as the Nav concluded its explanation. He had never before heard of anything of the like, and was quite bewildered as to why he had never been made aware of such a function. Mentally he commented to himself that it must have something to do with his having been entered into the Z program.

In any case, he decided that there was much more that he needed to learn about the bounds of his new reality, and resolved himself to do everything he could to investigate thoroughly later on.

For now, however, it seemed his priority was checking his friend's message.

"Comms," he commanded a bit hesitantly. Immediately a turquoise colored holographic menu opened up for him at eye level. It was much the same as the other menu commands that Navs were equipped with, and had a large heading that read "Communications" located in the top left corner. In the middle of the screen there was a large box simply labeled "Inbox", inside of which there was a single line of text, reading "From: Yukimura,Haku – Subject: Busy?". Next to the Subject line there was a small shoulders-up image of none other than Haku. A small smile rose unbidden to Naruto's lips as he mentally noted that the image really didn't capture his friend's beauty well enough.

Tentatively, the blonde directed his cursor to the subject line of his friend's message and selected it. Right away a small box popped up asking him to confirm or decline transmission. Naturally, Naruto selected "confirm", and at once a new window opened up, containing several lines of text. Curiosity fully piqued, the blonde Drone immediately began reading.

[Hi, Naruto,this is Haku!

I asked one of the professors to search the Z Program's participant database for your Nav's contact address. I hope you don't mind. In any case, I was a bit worried about you, so I thought I'd check in.

I'm sure dealing with a totally new environment is difficult. I can't even imagine being uprooted from my home and placed somewhere completely different. So I thought that maybe if you're free this afternoon, we could go over to the shopping district to hang out and maybe have lunch? If my hunch is right, being from the labor sector, you've never been shopping before, right? I'm sure you'll find it interesting. I was thinking we could meet up at around noon. Don't worry about bringing anything but yourself – I'll handle all the preparations from my end.

Looking forward to hearing from you! -Haku ]

After he finished reading his the other Z's transmission, Naruto felt a bashful smile rise unbidden to his features. His friend's kind message left a familiar feeling of warmth in his chest, and without warning thoughts of his other close friend, Gaara, came to mind. The blonde thought about what Gaara would say if he knew that his blonde companion had already made such a nice friend. The Drone was certain that the red-head would be happy for him.

All of a sudden, Naruto felt the urge to see Gaara. It had only been two days since they had last spoken, but with all of the changes he had been going through, it felt like much longer than that. After a moment of reflection, a brilliant idea came to him.

"KYUUBI, is there any way that I can contact Gaara using one of these Comms?" he asked excitedly. If he could somehow get in touch with his friend, then he could convey to the other boy what was happening and why he had suddenly disappeared from their team.

The red-headed boy wasn't very expressive of his emotions, but Naruto was sure that he would be very worried by now. He couldn't bear to think of what the other boy might be going through, having had his best friend go missing all of a sudden. The blonde wondered if anybody had even been thoughtful enough to tell his work-mates what had happened to him and that he was okay.

However, he was met only with disappointment at the fox's reply.

[Negative. Communications are not permitted in Sectors D and below,] KYUUBI said matter-of-factually, [Is there someone else you want to contact?]

Naruto's hope fell flat at that statement.

So it wasn't just his imagination – members of the labor sectors weren't allowed the privilege of using the Comm system. If that were the case, then what else had they been denied? The more he thought about it the more uneasy the blonde became. It was understandable that The Hive wanted Drones to prioritize productivity over all other things - but surely a simple thing like accessing the communications system wasn't a hinder to that...was it?

Naruto struggled with his own feelings over the matter for the second, unsure of what his heart was telling him. He wished for his Hive's eternal prosperity, as said prosperity meant happiness for all of it's members, but something felt off about what he had learned about the labor sector ever since he had been taken out of it. It all just didn't seem very..fair?

Biting his lip as his mind was assaulted with dozens of other questions about the nature of The Hive, Naruto tentatively turned his attention back to Haku's message, where he selected the "Reply" function, and immediately began entering his response. The digital clock representation in the upper right corner of the Nav window indicated that it was already just a few minutes before noon, so he would need to start getting ready right away if he wanted to make it on time.

After double checking his response, Naruto let his cursor hover over the 'Send' command for just a few seconds. He was a little nervous about sending his first Comm. As simple a matter as it might be, he had checked over the short message twice for errors, not wanting to have his reply come across as rushed.

Once he clicked the send button, Naruto waited anxiously for a few moments. Happily, Haku replied right away.

[Great! Meet in the courtyard in about fifteen minutes?] the other boy asked.

[Ok, see you there!] was the blonde's immediate reply. As he completed his response, Naruto could feel anticipation building in his chest. He had never done anything like this before – meeting with a friend for the express purpose of 'hanging out'. It was all so..._new_. Of course he understood the term 'shopping'. But as a Drone, that aspect of life had never come into play for him before.

They were provided with everything they could ever need from the very start - including a sense of belonging. Something like 'shopping', or 'hanging out', had never been a necessity - though he supposed spending time in the fields and living quarters with Gaara after work might be similar to "hanging out" - and he was curious to find out what it entailed. Judging from Haku's tone in his messages, it sounded like a lot pf fun.

Eager to meet up with his new friend, Naruto hurried back into the bathroom to begin getting ready.

It was just a few minutes before his scheduled meeting with Haku when Naruto finally poked his head out of the front door of his and Sasuke's shared living quarters. Glancing down the long, wide corridor just outside, he took note that it was empty save for the gentle sunlight streaming in from a large pair of windows at the far end.

Grimacing to himself sheepishly, Naruto mentally chided himself for being concerned that he might run into Sasuke at any turn. It was obvious that after leaving him breakfast the other boy had gone off to his own devices for the day. Allowing a natural smile to soften his features, the blonde took a short breath to calm himself, before quickly heading for one of the floor's elevators.

In another few moments, he was taking his first steps out of the building, and once again found himself gazing up in awe at the tall, majestic structure that he now called home. According to the lighted numbers he had seen inside the elevator, they were living all the way up on the eleventh floor. It was somewhat unbelievable to him to think that he and Sasuke were living so far above the ground, but also exciting and new.

Shaking his head to clear it, Naruto took off toward the courtyard at an easy jog, eager to meet Haku again. He did not have to wait long.

Haku stood at the forefront of the courtyard, just barely in the shade of the many trees planted there. Soft streams of sunlight filtered down through the leaves, benevolently casting their shine on the dark haired young Z's face. The light seemed to reflect off the other boy's delicate, pale skin perfectly, enhancing his natural good looks, and causing Naruto to pause mid stride, blushing slightly.

For the second time that day, all Naruto could do for a moment was think how unbelievably lucky he was to have made such a beautiful and kind friend. Knowing that Haku was there for him made the whole experience that much easier to bear, and he wished very dearly that he could introduce the dark haired boy to Gaara. He was sure that his best friend would be pleased with Haku, and vice versa. Perhaps the three of them could even go shopping and "hang out", just like he and Haku were going to do today.

That thought brought an even wider smile to Naruto's face.

And so the blonde's face was lit up with pure excitement when he finally called out to his friend on his approach, drawing Haku's eyes to him.

"Naruto!" the other Z called out with a wave and a genuinely relieved smile,"You look much better than I expected. I'm so glad. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah!" came the instant reply, as the blonde trotted over to his friend's side, "How long were you waiting for—Gyaaahhh!"

The young Drone's eyes nearly bulged out of his head in surprise as he cried out, inciting a similar expression from his friend in response.

"Wh-What is it Naruto?" Haku inquired confusedly, cocking his head to the side.

"Who's _that?_" Naruto demanded, gaze pinned on a space under the trees just a few feet behind Haku, "Come out here you weirdo!"

Indeed, there in the shadow of one of the trees, stood - or rather, _slouched_ - a tall figure.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Naruto," Haku answered right away, turning to face the figure in question, "I forgot to tell you."

Naruto merely raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. "Tell me what?" he asked, confuedly.

"Naruto, this is our chaperone for the afternoon," the pale skinned boy supplied, gesturing to the stranger who had emerged from the shadows.

In response, said stranger merely turned a bored looking gaze on the two of them.

"Nara Shikamaru," the newcomer offered his name, in a voice flat enough to match his disinterested gaze, "I'll be watching you two today, so don't do anything troublesome."

After saying his piece, the bored looking boy, who appeared to be around the same age as he and Haku were, turned his lazy stare back up toward the sky.

"Chaperone?" the blonde repeated inquisitively, "For us? Why?"

His vibrant blue gaze darted between Haku and the boy who had called himself Shikamaru, torn between listening to his friend's explanation and staring in disbelief at their so-called "chaperone".

Shikamaru cut an odd figure with his back slouched against a shade tree in a manner that implied it might be his default stance. His poor posture contrasted greatly with his actual physical appearance, which from what Naruto could see was characterized by a thin face with sharp, narrow features and strong bone structure, accentuated by the way that his longish hair was pulled tight into a small, spiked ponytail high on the back of his head. Though he wore a large, olive green, military style jacket over matching slacks, partially obscuring his figure, it looked as though he were rather well-built in a lanky, wiry sort of way.

For his part, Haku seemed unperturbed by his friend's confused look, chuckling softly.

"Well, you remember in my message that I told you I would take care of the preparations, correct?" the dark haired boy explained, earning a hesitant nod in reply, "Well, this is what I meant. We Z aren't allowed to enter the other sectors without a body guard of some sort. Naturally it is preferred that we be accompanied by our Carriers when we want to go out, but when that isn't possible, or when we just want to spend some time apart, we can apply to have an Escort accompany us instead."

Naruto nodded slowly, taking in his friend's words carefully. He understood what the brunette was explaining to him, but he wasn't sure as to why they needed to be accompanied by somebody else when all they wanted to do was go out and have some fun. It wasn't as if they were small children and could get lost - as long as they had their Navs to guide them, they would be fine.

Hesitating slightly, the blonde boy voiced his opinion.

"I think I get what you're trying to say," he replied, "But what exactly is an Escort, and why do we need one with us if we're just going shopping?"

Haku turned his gaze to the ground for the moment as he folded his arms together in front of his midsection, pausing in his thoughts.

Naruto could tell that the other boy was searching for a way to explain things in a way that he would understand. That kindness and consideration was exactlyone of the things that made Haku such a good person in his opinion.

"Naruto, this may be surprising to you, and I hope you won't be frightened," the slightly smaller Z prefaced slowly, "But the truth is that it can actually be unsafe for Z to wander the lower districts without protection - especially very public areas like the shopping districts. Escorts are professional bodyguards secured by the Program to accompany Z when they want to leave the Z Program's bounds. Simply put, they're around for our protection."

"Ehh?" came the automatic response, "But who would want to hurt _us_? Injuring a Z on purpose would be to the detriment of the Hive itself."

In reply Haku merely shook his head. "That's not what I meant by unsafe," he elaborated, "Actually, it's the very fact that Z are so valuable to the Hives that they are unsafe alone in public. You see... there are those who hunt Z – who would try to capture and sell us for profit on the black market."

"Ehhh!" This time Naruto's reaction was loud enough that it actually earned them both a languid, annoyed looking glance from Shikamaru, not to mention Haku's slight grimace at the shrill sound.

"It's true, Naruto. Cases are rare now because of the instigation of mandatory chaperones several cycles ago, but it _does_ happen. Naturally the program tries to stop information on those incidents from getting back to the participants to prevent unnecessary paranoia – they want us to feel safe going into the other sectors as long as we're properly accounted for," the pretty young drone summarized, earning a slow nod of understanding from his blonde friend.

However, understanding the situation didn't stop Naruto's gaze from sliding over to Shikamaru again. Haku could tell that the situation probably still felt awkward to the other boy, and so he tried to minimize the strangeness of it with words of comfort.

"I can see why you might find it strange for us to have to bring someone else along," the brunette inserted quickly, in an attempt to mitigate the situation, "But Shikamaru really is a professional – He's very good at his job! Escorts are especially skilled at keeping out of sight of their charges. You'll barely even notice they're there at first, and eventually you'll learn to forget that they're even with you when you're out."

Naruto's gaze had softened a little bit, but his tiny frown of displeasure still remained. He had hoped to have some time alone with Haku to discuss his problems with Sasuke.

Very much aware of Naruto's lingering disappointment, the dark haired youth tried his best to reassure him.

"We really _must_ have a chaperone of some sort, Naruto," he insisted, "And I wanted so very much to talk to you about how things went last night...I even asked Zabusa for some time alone so that I could meet you. I promise Shikamaru won't be paying attention to our conversation in the slightest. He's a professional - one of the very best there is. It really is the next best thing to being on our own."

This time his words seemed to have gotten through. The blonde gave one last glance toward their odd Escort, before finally turning back to his friend again, eyes set. Like it or not, Naruto realized, if he and Haku wanted to go shopping, the only way they were going to be able to do so was with a chaperone.

"I guess that's just the way it its," he conceded with a slight sigh, allowing a slight grin to take over his features, if only to comfort his companion. "Lead the way."

Haku couldn't help but smile at his friend's vibrant grin – obviously Naruto intended to make the best of things, no matter what, even if he clearly wasn't pleased with the addition of a third party to their entourage.

And with that the two of them were off, their lazy shadow trailing disinterestedly behind them at a distance.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

At last, another chapter! _;; I'm so sorry that there has been such a huge lag between this chapter and the last one. It's been what, like, three months now?

I know there are some people out there who were really hoping for a new chapter all this time. Chapter 7 has actually been finished for a good while now, but I've been sitting on it until my beta could get to it. Unfortunately, she is unavailable for the time being, and I'm not sure when she will be back. D'X (Nooooo~~~)

So after careful consideration, I've decided to just go ahead a release the new chapters as I finish them. Hopefully they will be coming out at a nice clip like they were when I first started this fic. They will be unbeta'd, but I'll be going over them as best I can before each release...wish me luck? e_e;;

That said, this chapter is pretty pedestrian, if you know what I mean. I justify it by saying that this is a necessary transitional chapter, and that there is plenty of action, aaaaand the entire Uchiha family (!) in the next one. Also...Shikamaru! XD I love me some him. Staaay tuned~

- hachi


	8. Chapter 8

****_**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that borrows characters and themes from the Naruto manga series. No profits are being made from the creation of this piece of writing whatsoever.**_****

* * *

><p><strong>Eight.<strong>

Naruto turned his head this way and that as he marveled at the place that Haku had brought him to. The shopping district was unlike anything that he had ever seen. Everywhere he looked there were storefronts proclaiming their newest wares - there were all manner of things, the uses of which he was only vaguely aware. The concept of shopping and marketplaces was there, embedded deep in his memory from his foundational education, but this was beyond what he had ever imagined. Something familiar stirred deep inside him as he looked here and there, trying to take it all in, and he realized after a bit that it was curiosity that he was feeling.

"Wow, look at this place!" the excited blonde cried as they strolled along one of the district's pristine, paved sidewalks. Off to their left, a steady flow of sleek, streamlined vehicles hummed by along lighted traveling lanes, suspended slightly off the ground. The young Drone watched, rapt with fascination as the curious machines passed them by.

"Are those...Lightcraft?" he questioned, turning to his darker haired companion inquisitively, eyes wide.

In response, Haku offered him a similarly surprised expression.

"Yes of course...You mean you've never seen one?" the other young man queried back, dainty brows rising a few millimeters.

Naruto merely shook his head lightly in disbelief.

"Well no... I mean I _have _seen them before. We used some for harvesting and hauling in the fields, and I've seen them transporting goods from some of the manufacturing sectors before," the blonde clarified, "But these are so...fast...and smooth! I've never seen ones so small before! Where are they going? What are they transporting?"

A soft laugh met his ears as the slender boy at his side turned to him in confusion.

"Transporting...?" Haku echoed, cocking his head to the side, "They're carrying people, silly!"

"Oh," the blonde said simply, a soft flush tinting his cheeks in slight embarrassment at his own ignorance. He'd never known of Lightcraft being employed for personal use before, but decided not to voice that particular piece of information. Fortunately, his friend seemed to pick up on his feelings of inadequacy and attempted to lighten the mood a little.

"Sorry, Naruto...I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I suppose there are many things here that you've never seen in the labor sector, aren't there," said the Z in an attempt to comfort him, "I apologize if I offended you."

"I'm not offended," Naruto answered back immediately, voice taking on a slightly defensive tone. At this Haku seemed genuinely amused.

"Are you..._pouting_? You're so cute, Naruto!" the other boy exclaimed with a sigh, poking at one of the blonde's cheeks in a teasing manner, "You almost make me wish I were a Carrier too..."

"Haku!" the blonde cried, face taking on a scandalized expression, to which his companion merely offered a mischievous smile.

"A-anyway, I had some things I wanted to ask you about," interjected Naruto, quickly changing the subject, "Is there maybe a place where we could sit and talk?"

"Sure, there's a place I wanted to take you anyway - We'll head there," answered the other boy, happy to oblige. And then he proceeded to lace pale, slender fingers with Naruto's strong tanned ones, to coax him amiably along the sidewalk.

The blonde glanced down at where their fingers had gently interwoven, and couldn't help but think about how different it felt from when he had held hands with Sasuke the day before. Haku's hands were warm like his partners, but much softer than Sasuke's slightly calloused ones. When the other boy had led him to their lodgings yesterday, his face had been set in something like grim determination - not at all like the serene look that colored his friend's features as the young Z led him toward their destination, all the while pointing out this and that and explaining what the different stores were selling. But somehow it felt different in more than a physical manner. For some reason, feeling Haku's soft digits linked with his own, though it was a pleasant sensation, left him with a strange longing to see Sasuke again despite how terrified he was of facing the other boy after what had happened the day before.

"Here we go," Haku's soft tenor soon announced their arrival, as they came to a full stop in front of a five story building, whose first two floors appeared to house one establishment, while the other three seemed to have a totally different purpose.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked, gazing up appreciatively at the building's glossy, white facade. It's entrance consisted of a set of large double doors, through which a steady stream of patrons seemed to be trickling in and out. Unfortunately all of the windows were tinted slightly, making it a bit difficult to make out what was inside.

In reply, Haku merely smiled softly, clearly reveling in his friend's naiveté. "You'll see once we get inside," he assured with a somewhat cryptic smile.

The moment they stepped through the doors, the smaller boy directed him toward a small podium, where, to Naruto's wide-eyed surprise, a large hologram appeared the moment they drew close enough. Before he could open his mouth to voice his amazement though, the image - that of a well groomed young woman dressed in what looked to be some sort of uniform - addressed the two of them.

"Hello, and welcome to _Mink_," chirped the image, "I'm Eri - I'll be your hostess for this afternoon. Will it just be the three of you joining us today?"

At this Naruto blinked several times, and it was only when he looked about to try and locate the third party to whom the young woman was referring, that he realized that Shikamaru was standing right behind them, an expression of mild disinterest firmly in place on his features. The blonde blinked - he had completely forgotten that the other young man was there just as Haku had said he would, though he wasn't sure if that was a testament to Shikamaru's ninja prowess or Haku's ability to keep up a conversation.

"Oh no, this is just our Chaperone," explained Haku immediately, gesturing to the taller young man, "He'll be looking after us while we're here."

At his explanation, the young hostess smiled in a knowing fashion.

"I see, we're fortunate to be hosting Z today aren't we!" she replied brightly after a glance at their white robed attire, "Well, our policy is that Chaperones are permitted to accompany their Z into any of our facilities, free of charge. Please accept this complementary guest marker, sir."

So saying, the image pulled up a small keyboard interface, much like the one that Naruto was used to seeing when activating any of Kyuubi's menu functionalities, and quickly tapped in a few commands. The young Drone continued to stare on wide-eyed as immediately a soft ring of indigo blue light appeared above Shikamaru's head. That done, she turned her attention back to her two main patrons.

"As for our honored guests, will you be making use of one of our private booths, or would you like to join in on one of the public group boxes upstairs?" asked the woman.

"We'll take a private booth," Haku answered, apparently quite familiar with the place's facilities, "Unlimited drinks and snacks please."

"Of course," came the reply, as their hostess continued to enter information into her keyboard interface, "Right now we have a special going on. Our booths include the "Maiden of Spring" menu: strawberry themed seasonal deserts. Please make sure to take a look at it! Right this way please."

Naruto's ears perked at that. At the mention of strawberries, vivid memories of his time as a Drone flooded his mind unbidden-warm evenings in early Summer spent with Gaara and the rest of his workmates, indulging in the best of the first fresh yields from berry crops. He keenly remembered the feel and taste of the firm tart fruit bursting open on his tongue as they had laughed and joked around.

"Come on, Naruto, I think you're going to like this," Haku encouraged excitedly, tugging his friend along by the fingertips as he headed after the image. Blinking, the blonde boy snapped out of his momentary reverie, quickly falling into step behind the young Z, his eyes straying upward to where a soft magenta halo of light now slowly circled the top of his friend's head. Noticing this change, the boy was drawn to look up above himself as well. There he found his own ring of light, spinning gently above the crown of his own bright blonde locks. Fascinated, the young Drone experimentally tilted his head this way and that as they walked, marveling at how the holographic image cleverly adjusted to any movement that he made.

"Here we are, gentlemen," said Eri as she ushered the two of them into a chamber partitioned off from the rest of the store by a veil of holographic light. It seemed that holographic images were employed extensively to create the entire place's atmosphere.

"And you'll be needing these as well," the young woman told them, indicating a small glass panel set into the wall just beside their booth. Without hesitation, Haku approached the space that their hostess had pointed to and pressed it, causing the small glass panel to slide back, revealing several small, slightly curved electronic devices, flat and each no larger than the palm of his hand. Naruto merely looked on, intrigued as to what their use might be. He was not forced to wonder for long however, as in the next instant his long haired companion had plucked two of the items up, before approaching the blonde with a purposeful expression.

"Naruto, do you mind turning around for me?" the other boy asked, "I need to put this on your neck."

Blinking at the odd request, the young Drone nonetheless nodded and turned his back to his friend obligingly, but he couldn't help but want to try and peer over his shoulder to get a look at what Haku was doing. A moment later he startled slightly as something cool met the nape of his neck just above the shoulders and a slight electric shudder went through him, clearly a product of whatever Haku had just done. It didn't particularly _hurt_at all however, and in another moment the smaller boy patted him on the shoulder amiably.

"All done!" he proclaimed.

This was Naruto's cue to turn around, just in time to see Haku carefully fitting the other device onto the back of his own neck with practiced ease. Their hostess looked on with an approving nod, before ushering them into the partitioned compartment at their side.

"Very good," nodded the hologram with a polite smile, "There are menus and selection manuals inside. Please enjoy your time here with us, and do not hesitate to ring for assistance if you should need anything."

And with that she bowed politely and shimmered out of existence, leaving Naruto to tilt his head this way and that, fascinated, as Haku looked on with an indulgent smile. In another second Naruto gave up on trying to figure out where all of these holograms were originating from and allowed his lithe friend to escort him further inside their so called "private booth" to where a table surrounded by a comfortable looking seating booth sat, the blonde wondering eagerly what sort of place this might be. Obviously it was something fun, judging by the slight grin on Haku's face. Taking a furtive glance behind them, the blonde noted that somewhere during the exchange, Shikamaru seemed to have slipped off out of sight somewhere, allowing he and Haku virtual privacy in the booth.

He was not left to wonder for long however, as a few moments after they had stepped inside, another figure gradually shimmered into visibility at Haku's side. Naruto stood gaping and wide eyed at the small pale form that sat next to his friend now, staring up at him docilely.

Clearly pleased with his reaction, the slighter boy could hardly suppress his grin as he cleared his throat in an official manner and gestured toward the newcomer with a slight flourish.

"Naruto, meet Kohaku-chan."

* * *

><p><em>"Shit."<em>

The youngest Uchiha cursed bitterly in his own thoughts even as he sat obediently with his legs folded under himself, head bowed low to the ground in a pose of supplication. Before him, the High Elder of the Uchiha clan sat with his back rigid, as his harsh gaze practically bored holes into the top of the boy's head, his distaste made abundantly apparent by the imperious and very clearly _annoyed _tilt to his head.

"My contact at The Program has informed me of your...incident...last night, and must say that I am _particularly _disappointed, Sasuke," the low, authoritative tone dropped almost a full octave as it washed over the young Carrier's ears," I would not have entrusted you with such a crucial role if I had known that you would conduct yourself as any less than a member of our clan should. Clearly I was mistaken."

Indignation blazed in Sasuke's chest at the suggestion that he was incapable of handling the task handed to him, and even further at the idea that he had in anyway dishonored his family. More than anything he wanted to speak up in protest, citing that he had behaved _exactly _as any other Uchiha would have last night - it was his partner that was the problem. The fool didn't seem to realize just who he was dealing with, or what the appropriate response should have been to his advances the day before. Simply put, last night's debacle had less to do with Sasuke not doing his job and more to do with Naruto being...well..._Naruto_.

Of course, the raven haired young man knew better than to contradict their clan's eldest member, not only because he valued his health, but also because despite how it galled him, he was very aware that it was nobody's fault but his own that he had ended up in such a predicament in the first place. Even now he couldn't say exactly what had possessed him to choose the blonde boy instead of keeping to himself at the marking ritual the day before. He'd be even harder pressed still to answer why it was that despite the obvious hassle that it was trying to foster a relationship with the other boy, somehow he didn't regret his decision quite so much as he probably should have, even now.

"I trust that I need not remind you of the imperative nature of the assignment with which you've been tasked?" the older man continued, eyes narrowing into cold slits as he spoke. The man before him was almost a mirror image of Sasuke himself, such that when one gazed on the the younger boy and elder together it was like looking into Madara's past and Sasuke's future - the same coal black Uchiha eyes glittered from behind the elder's long bangs though a little narrower, set in a face angular and hard as opposed to the young Carrier's, which was still slightly rounded with the last vestiges of childhood despite the decisively sharp features and graceful bone structure that characterized the most prominent facial attributes of their clan.

"Yes, Elder Madara," Sasuke intoned gravely, forcing his forehead down until it actually touched the pristine tatami flooring. He could only concede unequivocally, virtually powerless in the face of his clan's eldest member - the "will" of the Uchiha clan as it were. If the clan were one creature, then Madara was the heart of the beast - that which drove its ambitions and determined it's course - their clan's eldest patriarch and unfailing compass throughout countless decades. It was said that Madara had been alive even before "The Fall", meaning that despite his younthful appearance he had witnessed things that none of their clans current generation could begin to fathom. None were sure of his actual age, but he seemed perpetually suspended in a state of early to mid adulthood.

"You will _not _dishonor this clan any further with your impatience and lack of self-restraint. Am I understood?"

The young Carrier actually cringed at the man's tone - he hadn't been reprimanded this sternly since he was a rambunctious child. The analytical portion of his mind knew very well that Madara's words had been intended to fill him with indignation. It was not in the nature of those of his clan to take humbly to being scolded or spoken to condescendingly, and the man before him knew very well that doing so would light a fire in the pit of his descendant's belly - one which would not be quelled until Sasuke had once again proven his worth and restored his own honor as well as that of his family.

Still, knowing the intent of the elder's words and failing to be affected by it were two very different things, and Sasuke found that even knowing what Madara's intentions were, he could not help but be influenced by the stern disapproval in the man's voice.

"Understood, Elder." Though his words were of utmost simplicity and respect, they were laden with so much more meaning.

"Very well. If I've made myself abundantly clear, then you're free to go," the elder man stated with a slight upward tilt of his chin, signaling his dismissal, "However, I expect to see you _and _your partner back at the main house for dinner within the next week. You know very well how imperative it is that your chosen one be aware of what will be required of them from now on as the consort of our clan's successor. And I will _not _tolerate any further idiocy - you're to begin repairing the damage you've caused _immediately _so that the two of you can get to work. You should be actively trying for a child by the time your partner's next cycle rolls around. Do not make me regret my decision, _whelp_."

Sasuke cringed in indignant rage at the use of the elder's old monicker for him, but merely touched his forehead to the floor again in lieu of any verbal response, ears burning, and very aware that the older male would not have missed this reaction. He was beyond being put out about the role that had been forced on him by the clan's leaders, including Madara and his own father, but there would _never _come a time when hearing the older man speak so casually about his sex life would cease to be irritating, to say the very least.

After he had finished receiving his tongue-lashing from the elder, Sasuke turned and humbly made his exit from the intimate receiving room to which he had been summoned. The moment he was out in the hallway and out of hearing distance, however, he allowed himself a small sound of annoyance.

"Tch."

"You'd do well to reign in that temper of yours once and for all, little brother. It's very unbecoming of one of your station."

The small hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck prickled upward immediately in recognition as a low male voice called out to him from behind, completely taking him unawares. He could not suppress a slight narrowing of his eyes and a soft curse uttered under his breath. His brother was one of a few people who were always able to sneak up on him unnoticed and he forever looked upon the other with a mixture of hatred and grudging awe for it.

"Advice received," the irritated youth deadpanned, loud enough for the other to hear the pronounced lack of amusement in his voice, "What do you _want_, brother?"

He wasn't facing the other male, but he could practically _hear _the soft smirk settling on his brother's sharp countenance with his next words.

"Only to covey my well-wishes for you and your new partner, dear _otouto_. I'm sure whomever you've chosen is...delightful," came the subtle jibe. Obviously news of his disastrous attempt last night had already made its way to his sibling's treacherous ears - purposefully, if past experience was anything to judge by. He had long suspected that Madara and his brother, Itachi, were in collusion when it came to finding new and better ways to pester him incessantly, especially where his sex life was concerned. He daresay that they traded notes on a regular basis, as disturbing a mental image as that presented.

"_And?_" he practically hissed. It was less of a question and more of a demand.

"And mother wants to know when you'll be bringing the lucky Z by for dinner, as well as any menu preferences that your new consort might have. Also something about a special soup that's said to promote virility and stamina...," the elder of the two passed along with obvious glee - obvious to Sasuke at least.

The younger Uchiha took a slow breath through his nose, suppressing the urge to snap back at his brother, and after a short pause answered in as even a tone as he could manage.

"I'll discuss it with him when I get home," the Carrier confirmed curtly, glancing at his brother over his shoulder long enough that the other could clearly see the distaste plastered on his features, the younger males gaze murdering him several times over with their intent. True to form however, the elder allowed only the ghost of an ambiguous smile to tinge the corners of his mouth.

"See that you don't forget. We're certainly very eager to meet _him_," Itachi said, barely bothering to mask his amusement at his younger brother's discomfort, "He must be quite the individual to have garnered your interest."

Sasuke practically grimaced as he realized that he had inadvertently revealed his partner's sex. No doubt Itachi took some perverse glee in the knowledge that he had somehow managed to end up with a _male_, of all things. He knew that his brother didn't particularly care out of his own interest per se, but Naruto being a boy could be seen as a good or bad thing in the eyes of his parents and the clan's leaders, particularly High Elder Madara.

On the one hand, male Z, though rare by comparison, were known for producing strong offspring - occasional several times stronger than those born to females. However, conception was known to be a bit more difficult, usually requiring several attempts before a successful coupling, and the actual births were considered high-risk due to many of the complications that came along with the territory. Males being born with a double Z chromosome was originally a genetic fluke caused by a mutation in the first place - after all, their anatomy was just not meant to carry a child to term, much less go through labor. As far as Sasuke had been taught, a lot of hormones and a lot of plumbing had to shift around to make such a thing possible during the arduous, extended eleven month long gestation period particular to male pregnancies - one of many reasons why he thanked the Ancestors that he'd been born as a mere Carrier and not a full Z like his partner.

As Itachi disappeared off through their clan compound's inner courtyard toward the main house, triumphant smirk in place, Sasuke let his feet carry him in the opposite direction, toward the large gates that separated the Uchiha lands from the rest of the Hive. Their compound was located far above the sector that housed the Z program, in Sector B, right below the Hive's nerve center. They were a very old clan, and carried one of the Hidden Leaf's most precious blood limits, meaning that their family was rooted deeply in status and had quite a bit of influential power. He supposed that there were many who envied them, but there were few who would have been able to live up to the pressure that came along with being an Uchiha. His people were very proud, but in his opinion they had earned that right many times over through countless decades of loyal service to the people of Konoha, most of which took place in the shadows where none would ever know the depth of their sacrifice.

The thought of sacrifice made Sasuke scowl even deeper than usual - he was very familiar with that aspect of being an Uchiha.

His clan was dying.

Albeit very slowly, but dying nonetheless. According to the elders, there had been a time when their numbers had burgeoned - at one point in their history all of Konoha's law enforcement had been made up solely of Uchiha, and they had held significant sway within the village's high council as well. But they had been hit particularly hard by "The Fall", when shinobi had collectively and without warning begun to hurtle toward extinction.

Their people had always taken the cultivation of their clan's genetic traits very seriously, resorting to nigh incest at points in their history for the sake of preserving said attributes. As a testament to this, he and his brother were almost dead ringers for their clan's highest elder, who was known to have been born several generations before them at the least. As children of the main house of Uchiha, they were the pride of their clan, having been blessed with genetic traits most true to the Uchiha ideal - the most "pure" carriers of the Uchiha bloodline to have surfaced in generations, according to those of his clan, especially in the case of Sasuke himself.

However, when shinobi females had started having trouble conceiving children, the Uchiha's population growth had literally crawled to a near halt while genetic testing that produced the Z program was underway, and even after the Program had begun it had taken over two decades of scientific work before the first of the Uchiha, a member of a smaller branch of their clan, with the double Z chromosome was born.

Even now their clan struggled to keep their numbers up - they were a mere shadow of their former glory, and Sasuke had been unfortunate enough to be the only child of his generation to carry the Z chromosome in some capacity. He could still remember the day that he had been brought before the Uchiha clan leaders and been informed that, after a childhood spent dreaming that he would follow in his brother's footsteps and become one of Konoha's most elite ninja, eventually surpassing him, he would instead be sent to the Z Program to spend the majority of his young life attempting to shore up their clan's numbers.

Like any member of his family would have, he had obediently accepted his duty, but that didn't mean that it was easy. And now, to have been humiliated by having whomever Madara had monitoring his actions from within the Program come back and report his failed attempt from last night...No doubt the spy had hurried back to the elder with news of the incident the very moment that Sasuke had dutifully reported it to the Program's administration this morning. It was infuriating to the point that it had severely tested the bounds of the youngest Uchiha's self-restraint not to have lashed out at his brother just now, which was saying something, considering that the two of them were actually relatively close despite their love-hate relationship - by Uchiha standards anyway.

"Fuck," he growled, allowing himself a moment of anger. Then, in an attempt to calm himself, he tried thinking of his mother. Like him, she had probably had other hopes and dreams besides becoming a member of the Program, but she had sucked it up and learned to make the most of her life, and he respected that. After all, if she hadn't he might never have been born, and she certainly invested as much effort in childrearing as any of their clan did in their missions and other duties. If he was to be entrusted with his clan's survival than there was nothing for it but to shoulder the burden on his own and attempt to think of it as his own crucial mission. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha never performed at less than one hundred percent.

It was just as Sasuke had managed to calm himself sufficiently that he felt an unfamiliar sensation. A shudder ran through his entire body and a strange ringing tone sounded in his ears momentarily. Blinking profusely, he tried to shake it off, only to find that whatever it was, it just wouldn't going away. It was like a persistent tingling of his nerves, pulling at him from the edges of his awareness in a manner that was impossible to ignore.

Unbidden, thoughts of his partner arose in his mind, and he found himself feeling increasingly uneasy, though he couldn't imagine what sort of trouble the idiot could possibly get into while within the confines of the Program. Still, something made him want to head home and check on Naruto, if only to see whether or not the fool was still locked up in the bathroom after all this time and had missed the nutritious breakfast that Sasuke'd left behind when he had quietly taken his leave that morning. He couldn't deny that he felt a strange possessiveness toward the other boy, though the analytical portion of his mind attempted to write it off as a mere side effect of his conditioning.

"Hayato," he called, and immediately a small, avian form materialized on his shoulder.

_Yes, young master?_the peregrine's polite tenor echoed in his mind.

"I need to...reconcile...things with my partner as quickly as possible," he said curtly, not bothering to turn his gaze on the holographic image as he strode ahead, "You're sure that leaving him breakfast will have made any difference?"

_As I advised earlier, young master, an act of contrition is required when attempting to diffuse a tense situation with one's significant other, _the falcon said matter of factly, _Do not forget that you are responsible for the well-being of your partner as well - a nutritious breakfast is crucial to reproductive growth, especially for a boy of Naruto's age. It is also very advisable that you take home some sort of a peace offering with you. Offering gifts, in conjunction with a sincere apology, is known to be a very effective tactic in regaining a lover's trust._

The dark haired boy grimaced at that suggestion. The very notion of him and the other boy as _"lovers"_, let alone him trying to ply Naruto's trust with..._sweets_, or _flowers...jewlery_, or _whatever _it was Z fancied was extremely off-putting. They had a job to do - nothing more. Then again, he supposed that if the offering was something small and tasteful, perhaps he might not be too averse to it. Besides, though they had completed the marking ceremony, which meant that technically Naruto now belonged to him and his clan, the fact that the blonde was spoken for wasn't really made obvious in any way. It would probably be a good idea to stake his claim in a more tangible manner to avoid any unwanted advances on his partner when he wasn't around- though Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of person would actually be interested in the other boy sexually or otherwise.

Regardless, Naruto may have been an idiot, but like it or not he was _Sasuke's _idiot now, the Carrier thought to himself with a slight roll of his eyes.

And so, with that thought in mind, the youngest Uchiha decided to pay a visit to the Shopping District.

* * *

><p>"Is that...?" Naruto stared in blatant shock at the scene unfolding before him.<p>

His companion merely nodded softly with a smile spread across his gentle features, shifting his gaze toward the small, pale figure that obediently occupied his right side, sitting up on its hind legs to peer at the blonde in an intelligent manner.

"My NAV, Kohaku-chan. And this is?" the dark haired youth inquired, softly gesturing toward Naruto's side.

Blinking in surprise, the taller of the two followed Haku's gaze, and was surprised to find none other than KYUUBI seated at his feet in an uncommonly docile manner.

"KYUUBI!" he exclaimed, looking between his friend and the program, "You mean you can see _my_Nav too? But...how?!"

_Don't respond - I'm bypassing this room's audio system and rerouting my dialogue directly to you, the fox's cautionary tone in his head, Your surprise mimics my own. It seems this establishment is programmed to project the visuals and sounds associated with an individual's NAV system by use of the device on your neck. My image is being projected publicly for those in this room by way of the building's holographic sensors. I'm technically unable to stray from your vicinity while you remain in this booth...well, not without some effort, anyway. Impressive..._

Naruto blinked at that, only half understanding what exactly the program's technical had meant. He could only garner that, somehow, this facility was making it possible for he and Haku to see and hear one another's NAVs. It was incredible to say the least.

Be careful what you say to me, as your companion will be able to hear us, the creature advised, offering a large vulpine yawn, I'll be limiting my responses to avoid suspicion.

"Naruto, he's beautiful," the dark haired boy exclaimed as he gazed intently at the fox, "I've never seen a NAV quite like yours before...I can see why you thought something was wrong. You must have a really active imagination...he's such a pretty color. And his tail! It's so fluffy!"

"_Tail?_" the blonde echoed, blinking wide blue eyes a few times before he glanced down at his NAV again. Sure enough there were three tails there, as he expected, which only furthered Naruto's suspicion. KYUUBI merely looked up him an open mouthed expression that suspiciously resembled a grin.

Kyuubi was it? came an unfamiliar, soft feminine tone, breaking Naruto from his gaze at the fox and drawing it toward the room's fourth occupant, My name is Kohaku. A pleasure to make your acquaintances.

Naruto looked on in open awe at Haku's NAV - she was obviously female, and very polite in contrast to his own, a pale cream colored rabbit with an soft pink colored streak of color circling around one of her rear haunches.

"It's nice to meet you too Kohaku," the tanned boy replied automatically, "This is so cool."

In response Haku grinned brightly, eyes creasing in pleasure.

"I knew you'd be surprised," he agreed, "NAV cafes are all the rage right now...People come here to engage in recreational activities and conversation with one another's NAVs. There are public and semi-public group boxes upstairs too!"

This is indeed an amazing facility, added Kyuubi, his voice sounding genuinely intrigued, A cursory search shows that there are a number of other establishments much like this one scattered among some off the other upper sectors.

"I had no idea something like this was possible," the blonde admitted earnestly, "And your NAV! She has a name too!"

"Ah yes, I was wondering why you thought it such a novelty that your NAV called itself by its own name," Haku replied in genuine confusion, "Is it the norm for people's NAVs to go unnamed in the labor sectors?"

His words made the young Drone pause to consider the query. It wasn't that he was searching for an answer - he had never heard of anyone addressing their NAV by name before coming here - but rather, he wondered why it was that he and the other Drones' NAVs had never addressed themselves as such. A small frown creased his brow for a moment as he wondered what Gaara and the others would say if they knew that something like this existed...how much fun it would be if he could bring them to a place like this. It just felt wrong being able to enjoy all this when he knew that his workmates couldn't.

"Naruto?" Haku's soft voice jostled him out of his reverie.

"Oh, uh...no," he answered lamely, "I'm pretty sure everyone's NAV was referred to as just 'NAV'."

"How strange..." the brunette trailed, "I would have thought it was the same for everyone. But then again, it's always been a bit of a mystery to all of us how the labor and manufacturing sectors really work. All I remember is the basic information that we were taught during Foundation."

The blonde boy perked at that. He remembered his earliest years spent in Foundational Training very well, though some of the details had begun to fade with time. It had never occurred to him that even being from another Hive, Haku would have had to undergo the same training as well. He mentioned as much.

"Haku, you had to go through Foundation at your Hive?" the Drone said inquisitively, "I didn't know they had it at other Hives too."

This earned him a soft giggle from his companion. "Of course, silly," he said, "How do you think we learn anything about the world?"

Foundational Training is a staple in all Hive systems, agreed upon by the Ninja Alliance shortly after the formation of the Hive System, Kohaku added kindly, Although certain portions of the curriculum differ from place to place, all of the Hidden Villages try to stick to the same general education, with few exceptions. Haku's upbringing should be little different from your own, Naruto.

"Wow, you're so nice Kohaku! I wish KYUUBI would explain things as simply as you do," the blonde boy pouted, cutting his gaze over to his own NAV, who merely rolled its eyes at him in response.

The interaction earned them both a laugh from Haku.

"You two are so funny together. I've never seen a NAV behave quite like KYUUBI," the smaller boy giggled, "Some people say one's NAV is like a reflection of one's truest self you know.n I've read that during early childhood developmental stages, NAVs usually start to take on a shape and personality reflecting each individual's needs based on their personality traits and position within the Hive."

"Well I don't see why I would need a NAV that doesn't even listen half the time," Naruto huffed, "I'm not like that at all!"

"Hmm...well, Kohaku and I are both pretty even keel, so I guess it doesn't always turn out the same. Maybe they're made the way they are to help us stay balanced?" his companion posited,stroking his finely shaped chin thoughtfully.

At its most basic function, one's NAV system is intended to provide guidance and companionship, KYUUBI interjected - rather grumpily, as far as Naruto could tell, though Haku and his NAV seemed unfazed by or unnoticing of it, The user's subconscious determines the rest - There's no set 'rule' determining how those functions will manifest themselves beyond the basic underlying algorithms that govern the prime directive.

"You see what I'm talking about?" exclaimed the blonde, pointing at his NAV accusatorily, "What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?"

It means that if you have a problem with the way I perform my functionalities, you have only yourself to blame, was the flippant reply, as the fox hopped up onto the booth seat and over its master's lap, curling up on his other side.

"Haku, can't we trade? Just for a day?" Naruto mumbled, frowning at his NAV's turned back, "He doesn't listen to anything I say. I bet Kohaku never talks back to _you_."

At this the other boy chuckled softly, motioning for the small lagomorph to join him on the seat across from the blonde.

"Well, Kohaku _does _seem to like to tell me when she deems I'm being foolish," Haku demurred, "And she certainly has no problem telling me 'no' when the occasion calls for it."

I wouldn't have to do so if you didn't behave so childishly so often, chimed in the little rabbit, who had hopped up to sit obediently in his lap, preening at her nose with a forepaw,And if you didn't have a penchant for such effeminate and revealing clothing...I'm not sure how poor Zabusa-san tolerates it sometimes.

"Kohaku!" exclaimed the shorter boy, face flushing, "That's quite enough!"

Naruto merely raised his eyebrows at the exchange, unsure why his friend had gotten so embarrassed all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked, earnestly curious, "Haku seems adequately dressed to me - We're wearing the same thing"

"Now you've done it," pouted the brunette, puffing out his flushed cheeks as he gleamed down at his NAV before turning back to his friend, "I'm wearing the Program's uniform today because I figured you wouldn't have anything else to put on, Naruto. I didn't want you to feel out of place, so I thought it would be better if we both dressed in our robes."

"Oh...Thanks, I guess," said the other boy, "But you didn't have to do that for me. I didn't know we could wear anything else besides the uniform."

At this Haku's eyes widened as though he had been scandalized. A delicate hand rose to clutch at his chest as if in shock.

"Of course not!" he said, "I think I'd _die _if they made us wear these things all the time."

Z and Carriers are both permitted to wear personal attire outside of class time, explained Kohaku helpfully, As a matter of fact, Z in particular are encouraged to dress in ordinary clothing when departing from the Program's facilities in order to reduce unnecessary attention.

"But I don't have any other clothes," Naruto said, wide-eyed, "And I'd only ever worn the same thing as everyone else when I was in the labor sector...I was kind of wondering why everyone was dressed so interestingly outside. Do people in the upper sectors usually differentiate their style of dress like that?"

"Absolutely," Nodded Haku, realization dawning across his elegant features, "Then that means...you've never had your own clothes? Ever?"

The blonde boy shook his head slowly from side to side slightly, earning himself a genuinely shocked expression from his friend.

"We _have _to go shopping. I can't let you walk around wearing the same thing all the time!" exclaimed the brunette, bordering on outrage, "That sort of thing might be normal in the Labor Sector, but I won't stand for it. Besides, I promise you'll have fun once you see all the different styles that are available. I can see you in something boyish...shorts maybe. And lots of bright colors to go with your pretty eyes."

Naruto merely blinked a few times, a blank expression plastered across his face as his friend's took on a rather pleasantly distracted expression. It seemed that Haku really enjoyed shopping, which was making him anticipate going into one of the stores he'd seen and trying it for himself all the more. Briefly he wondered if what Haku had said was true for all those in the upper sectors. Try as he might, he couldn't imagine Sasuke wearing anything but his uniform and usual severe facial expression. The other boy just didn't seem the type to pay attention to something so non-essential as personal wear. For a moment he tried to imagine his partner wearing something like what he had seen other young men of a similar age wearing as they strolled the Shopping District, but the thought only made him remember Sasuke's shocked expression from the night before - the way the bright red blood had stood out against his surprisingly soft, pale pink lips.

"Naruto...What's the matter?" Haku's concerned tone startled him from his thoughts. He realized then that his distress must have shown in his face in some capacity, for the darker haired boy was looking at him with a face full of worry.

"_Uuu_..._Sasukeee_..." the blonde groaned quietly, softly banging his head against the table in front of him. He had tried to vocalize his thoughts, but the simple cry was all he could manage as he remembered the events from the night before.

"Oh, Naruto, I'm sorry," the young Z said, reaching over to pat his friend's shoulder sofly in genuine concern, "You had said you wanted to talk, didn't you? And here I am going on about nonsense..."

At his friend's kind gesture, Naruto slowly looked up, roughly rubbing away the large crocodile tears that threatened at the corners of his eyes. He was met with Haku's concerned gaze.

"It's alright, you can confide in me about anything," the brunette probed gently, "Tell me...did something happen with Sasuke-kun?"

At the blonde's nod he offered a knowing smile. "I kind of figured that was it," Haku sighed softly, "What happened when you got home last night?"

With those simple encouraging words it was like a floodgate had opened up. Naruto immediately began to ramble off everything that had happened from the time that he and the smaller boy had parted ways outside class the day before up until just that morning. He was so relieved at being able to tell someone else about it that he forgot to be embarrassed, earnestly spilling all of his thoughts on the matter since the day before.

When he had finished, the other boy sat with a thoughtful expression on his face, not having uttered a word since the blonde had begun his tale. After a few moments' contemplation, he spoke up carefully.

"Naruto...I know you feel bad about hitting Sasuke like that," the young Z began slowly, "...But I'm thinking that maybe it was a good thing."

At the unexpected statement, Naruto gaped at him openly, completely taken aback by what he was hearing.

"_Eh?_"

"No, really," Haku elaborated, "I know it was especially shocking for you...I would have been upset too if something like that had happened to me. But...I don't think being hit is anything new for Sasuke. He _is _a Carrier after all. Besides, if you hadn't done something drastic, he might have ended up pushing you into something you weren't at all prepared for."

"What? What's that mean? It's okay for me to hit Sasuke because he's a Carrier?" the blonde queried, absolutely bewildered by what he'd just been told.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," rectified Haku, shaking his head from side to side, "I just meant that he can take it, that's all. Carriers are..._different_...from us. They're used to much more hostile conditions. I've heard that there's a lot of in-fighting in their dorms, especially around the time that the marking ceremony rolls around.

"Carriers are very territorial - As part of their conditioning, they undergo mild hormone therapy just like we do, but their treatment promotes virility and enhances sexual drive during certain periods, corresponding with our hormonal cycles. I've heard that aggressive behavior is an unavoidable side effect, so there's a lot of competitiveness when trying to establish rank too - Outright fighting even."

"Rank?" the blonde echoed blankly, brow creasing.

"Yes, it's pretty much common knowledge that they have a strict, self-established ranking system. I'm not really sure of the details on how one rises or falls in rank, but apparently it determines the pecking order. Carriers with higher rank get first choice during marking ceremonies," Haku explained, "Well, it's more of a formality actually, and there are definitely some who don't participate for whatever reason, like my Zabusa-san. Usually people have some idea of whom they're going to try and pair up with before the ceremonies happenanyway. There are a lot of co-ed events to get us used to interacting with one another, so most scout out their intended that way.

"I really think they just stick to the ranking system out of respect, and to avoid any ambiguity or sudden outbreaks of fighting at structured events. Since the ranking is established ahead of time, there's no conflict when an actual ceremony takes place. Still, I heard that the fighting can get pretty serious before a ceremony - On occasion the staff has even had to intervene."

Naruto merely listened, wide eyed in shock at what he was hearing. The situation that Haku had described was a far cry from what he had been used to in the labor sector - so much so that he felt like his head was beginning to spin. Sasuke had been part of such a violent and competitive system? The more he heard, the less of a mystery it was that the other boy had been so aggressive with him the night before.

Hormonal treatments, ranking, infighting...it sounded like there were a lot of complicated feelings involved in this whole situation, far beyond what he had been capable of grasping after being thrust into the system such a short time earlier. He knew now why Haku had insisted that he keep a low profile during the ceremony, though it was far too late now for regrets born out of hindsight. There was one thing that kept bothering him however.

The blonde gulped softly as he tried to formulate his next question as carefully as possible. He was somewhat anticipatory of a not so positive answer, but still, the question was begging to be asked. It tugged at the back of his mind, refusing to go unanswered after what he had just been told.

"Haku, the reason Sasuke picked me instead of somebody else...do you think maybe it was because of...of the ranking, or whatever?" he said slowly, measuring his words, "You know, because he didn't have any other options or something like that."

The blonde boy's chin sunk down below his shoulders as his eyes remained glued to the table below in an uncharacteristically submissive manner. He halfway dreaded the answer, but was glad that he had been able to get the question out nonetheless. At least it was out there now, and he knew that Haku wouldn't think less of him for asking. Across the way Kohaku sat looking intently up at him over the edge of the table, and though it was barely perceptible, one of KYUUBI's ears had perked and twitched slightly in anticipation of the answer.

There was a pause, and then a soft expulsion of air as Haku laughed softly, earning a cringe from his companion.

"Oh, Naruto...is that what you think?" he said kindly, still chuckling a little bit as the blonde raised surprised blue eyes to meet his own wide grin, "That's not it at all! It's quite the opposite actually...Sasuke could have had anybody he wanted at the ceremony from what I've heard. Well, except for meof course."

The blonde actually felt his own jaw fall a few open a few centimeters as the Z regarded him with a cheeky smile. His blatantly shocked expression only garnered him more giggling from his companion.

"You didn't know? Well, no I guess you wouldn't," the brunette continued, "I heard from Zabusa-san as well as some of the other Z that Sasuke claimed top rank just before the ceremony - They were only gossipping about it _all morning_ yesterday at breakfast. It seems he forfeited his privilege right after the ceremony started though...From what I've heard, Sasuke hadn't claimed a partner in either of the past two ceremonies, so it was kind of expected. But make no mistake, he in particular is considered a prime catch. He's an _Uchiha_, Naruto."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blonde mumbled, "He just seems like kind of a jerk most of the time if you ask me."

Haku didn't respond at once. Instead a funny look crossed his face momentarily as he stared at his friend from across the table.

"I think I'm starting to get an idea as to why he chose you, actually," the smaller boy murmured, just below his friend's audible range, before continuing on in a matter-of-factual tone of voice.

"Anyway, Sasuke-kun is a regular topic of discussion and fixation among Z, especially the girls," he said with a slight roll of his eyes. "I will admit, he is rather good looking in a strictly traditional sense, and he's definitely well-built for his height and age, but I don't really get the obsession myself - He's rather brash and...well..._young _for me."

Naruto stared on as the smaller boy pulled a face, becoming further confused by the minute.

"Why would he forfeit after going out of his way to get to the top position?" he questioned, going slightly wide eyed at the revelations that Haku had graced him with. In turn, all he received was a slight shrug and a softly narrowed expression.

"That boy is a complete lone wolf," the slight young man said with a small toss of his head to the side, "In true Uchiha fashion, nobody knows what he's thinking most of the time. Although I heard that he was only responding to a challenge, that and it just happened to have come from the Carrier who had been seated at top rank at the time. I guess Sasuke must have beat him.

"As for why he's denied a markee until now, I'd say it's probably just pure disinterest - Though I can't blame him for not wishing to fall prey to one of the stalkers who are always following him around."

At this statement the blonde's expression fell again. He didn't know why he was getting so bent out of shape over how Sasuke felt about him, but he supposed it was natural to hope that the person you were being forced to live with had at least some inkling of an interest in you as a person. Still, he couldn't censure himself from expressing his thoughts at that moment.

"So you think he just picked me to get rid of unwanted attention?" the blonde mumbled, feeling more miserable by the second. He had been right in believing that it would be a relief to share his concerns, but now he was just thinking himself into a corner again.

But again, Haku refuted his uncharacteristically pessimistic ideas.

"Absolutely not," the young brunette insisted, "Like I told you, he's rejected the ceremony twice already, and I don't think Sasuke is the type to cave in to pressure from anyone, especially regarding something so final. He could have just done the same a third time if he had wanted. No, Naruto, I think something about you must have caught his attention. You're very attractive in your own way you know. There's something really _different _about you."

"Uh...thanks," replied the other boy a little self-consciously, "I've never had anybody tell me that before. But I really don't know if Sasuke's the type of person to notice that sort of thing...especially about _me_. I think he finds me kind of foolish and annoying actually..."

"I wouldn't take it personally in the slightest," his friend reassured with a slight sigh, "I'm pretty sure Sasuke finds everyone foolish and annoying in some way or another if his usual demeanor is anything to go on. What's important right now is that he went out of his way to pick _you_, even after he had rejected everyone else. That has to mean something good, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said the blonde with a small smile, expression brightening considerably at the thought. He wanted to at least get along with his partner if they would be forced to cohabitate, even if the idea of what else he was expected to share with the other male was entirely out of the question and absolutely mortifying to consider. He was still a little unsure about whether he really belonged in the Z Program or not, but the strange changes that he had been experiencing lately, coupled with this most recent revelation about KYUUBI's odd behavior had gone a long way toward allaying the greatest of his concerns. Perhaps his NAV _was _a little odd, but having the opportunity to speak with Kohaku had been eye-opening to say the least.

"So, do you feel any better now?" asked Haku, still looking at him with mild concern, "I knew it would be a culture shock for you, but I never would have imagined that you would have something like that happen on the first night."

"That makes two of us..." the blonde mumbled, cheeks flushing furiously, "I'm still not even sure what he wanted to do to me. At first I thought he was trying to eat my face or something!"

He hesitated for a moment as he struggled to compose himself, thoughts of the night before flooding his mind's eye unbidden, making him flush and go somewhat numb in places he'd never been aware of before.

"Is it always like that?" Naruto queried, slightly turning his head away as he averted his gaze, a soft pink color blossoming across his nose.

"Well, it differs from couple to couple I suppose. For instance, Zabusa-san - my Carrier - is a very gentle lover. I can't imagine him doing something like that." Haku said thoughtfully, though his expression betrayed his thoughts somewhat, as he was blushing slightly as well, "Sasuke-kun is surprisingly forward. I wish Zabusa-san would take a hint myself sometimes...He'd never try and start something so aggressively."

"I-Is that so? I didn't know there was an...um...a particular protocol, or anything," Naruto said, growing more uncomfortable by the moment, and embarrassed to find that his voice had taken on a slightly cracked and strained quality. Though he supposed it would be better to ask Haku about things he wasn't sure of than to find out the hard way, "Is there a particular way that its supposed to go?"

The smaller boy looked at him very seriously for a moment, as if considering his next words with care.

"Naruto..." Haku began finally,"...You _do _know where little shinobi come from, don't you?"

This question earned him a very indignant response.

"Of course I do!" the blonde insisted, seriously offended, "I took Foundation just like everyone else!"

"No, no, no," said the other Z, shaking his head gravely, "I mean do you _really _know? About sex? _Explicitly? _Like when it's between two males?"

His response drew a short pause of contemplation from the blonde. He was sure that he'd been required to absorb basic information about reproduction - for shinobi particularly as opposed to ordinary people - but when he really thought about it, he'd never been called on to recall that information after he left the facility where he and a few of his work-mates had been raised and was sent to the fields.

"I...well...hrm," he mumbled noncommittally, to which his companion offered a gracefully arched eyebrow.

"Okay," leveled the brunette after a light sigh, "You're going to get a refresher when classes start up in earnest anyway. But since your partner seems particularly aggressive, I think I'd better go over the basics, so you don't end up bent over another counter somewhere before you know what's going on."

Haku... came Kohaku's warning tone, but she was quickly silenced by her master.

"Hush, Kohaku-chan," insisted the pretty young man, eyes flashing, "He needs to know what he's dealing with before Sasuke eats him alive."

Naruto startled visibly at his friend's choice of wording - they did not portend to a pleasant conversation. All of a sudden he wondered about those unlimited snacks and drinks that Haku had mentioned to their hostess. He had a feeling he was going to be needing them.

"Alright, Naruto, we'll start with the basics - kissing and foreplay."

* * *

><p>Author's notes:<p>

Man, this chapter was a long time in coming. e_e;;; I apologize to everyone who was waiting on this one. I never imagined that I would end up having such a busy Summer! In addition, my lovely beta, BishieHuntress, is currently on a slight hiatus as she tends to her lovely new baby. (Congrats, BH!) Unfortunately that means my chapters likely won't be anywhere near as pretty for a little while. Sorry!

In any case, not too much to say about this chapter. Hopefully it answers some of the questions that people were having about the Hive, NAVs and other matters. Unfortunately, though I wanted to introduce the rest of Sasuke's family, this chapter was just getting way too long! I was only able to give Madara and Itachi any real face time, and Sasuke's parents received only cursory mention. /:-( The next chapter will include more Sasuke and Naruto interaction, and some family time with the Uchiha clan when Sasuke takes Naruto home for dinner, plus a nice little twist that I'm sure none of you will see coming. It's gonna be awesome, so get excited! XD


End file.
